"Celeste's Uber was taking longer than usual to arrive. She guessed the car was stuck behind a level crossing around the corner from her flat in Enfield. It was a sunny morning in May 2024 and Celeste, whose name has been changed, was six months pregnant. She sat down on the curb to text her sister and personal trainer to say she was on her way, and after a few minutes decided to start walking in the direction the Uber would be coming from."
"That's when she saw a group of men wearing balaclavas running towards her. Before she could get away, one of them grabbed her. Her trainers came off as she kicked and screamed for help. They bundled her into the back of a white van which then drove off at speed. I was thinking, this can't be happening, Celeste recalls. Still today, it doesn't feel real."
Criminals have shifted from opportunistic smash-and-grab thefts to premeditated, violent attacks targeting influencers and affluent individuals. A pregnant influencer named Celeste was kidnapped after leaving her flat; masked men seized her, bundled her into a van, and ignored pleas about her pregnancy while threatening extreme violence. Thieves searched her belongings, stole her phone, blindfolded and restrained her with cable ties, and used the phone to extort her partner while subjecting her to threats of mutilation. Social-media displays of wealth and high follower counts are being used to identify vulnerable targets for violent robbery and extortion.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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