Chloe Ayling recounts escape from terrifying kidnapping; everything to know
What's the story
In April 2017, Chloe Ayling, a 20-year-old London-based model, was kidnapped after arriving in Paris, France, for a photoshoot. Her former agent Phil Green had booked the job. However, upon her arrival at the studio, two masked men drugged her with Ketamine and revealed their intentions to sell her on the dark web as a sex slave.
False identity
The ransom demand and the unlikely bond
The kidnappers, Lukasz Herba and his brother Michael Herba, claimed they were hired by an international crime syndicate called "Black Death" to abduct her. They demanded a ransom of €3,00,000 (around $3,50,000) for her release. After spending six days in captivity, Ayling noticed that Lukasz had developed feelings for her. She convinced him that she would date him if he let her go, which softened his attitude toward her.
Escape plan
The end of captivity
Lukasz eventually took her shopping to replace her missing shoes and then drove her to the British consulate in Milan six days after her abduction. Despite being free, Ayling didn't feel safe as she had to stop any investigation into her disappearance. Her story was later adapted into a BBC documentary titled Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping, which began airing on its site on Monday.
Arrest and disbelief
The controversy and doubts
Despite her release, many doubted Ayling's story, accusing her of staging the kidnapping. This skepticism was fueled by CCTV footage showing her holding hands with Lukasz while shoe shopping. Authorities insisted she was just playing along for her safety. Eventually, Lukasz and Michael were arrested and sentenced to 16 years and nine months in prison.