Gang lures barber to London with honey trap to steal £500,000 in crypto

Metro

5 days ago

A gang lured a Belgian barber to London with a honey trap and threatened him with a machete, mistakenly thinking he had £500,000 in cryptocurrency.
Quentin Cepeljac, who is known for cutting professional footballers' hair, was held captive at an Airbnb in west London for nine hours, while they attempted to exhort the money.
When they realised he didn't have much in his crypto accounts, they forced him to give them £2,000 out of his current account and hand over £300 cash.
Those involved in the failed robbery, Adlan Haji, 28, Alexander Khalil, 30, and Omar Sharif, 24 and Belgian Davina Raaymakers, 20, pleaded guilty to blackmail on Friday and face custodial sentences.
Raaymakers, 20, identified Mr Cepeljac as a 'useful target' on TikTok, and spent a number of months messaging him, before asking him to stay with her in London for the weekend.
Nicholas Dunham, KC, prosecuting, said Mr Cepeljac turned up at an Airbnb in Shepherd's Bush believing it was Raaymakers's family home.
Instead he was met by Haji, Khalil and Sharif, who punched and kicked him,demanding the £500,000 from his cryptocurrency account, Isleworth Crown Court heard.
Mr Cepeljac was put in an en-suite bathroom where Haji held a 'large machete' to his throat.
'Weapons were brandished during the incident,' said Mr Dunham.
'Mr Haji held a knife to his throat, while the other two defendants held a large knife to his leg, and told Mr Cepeljac they were going to stab him.
'Mr Cepeljac was later pushed onto the floor, where Mr Haji held a machete to his throat again.
'Mr Khalil told Mr Haji to stab the Mr Cepeljac if he left the bathroom in the en suite bathroom.
'£500,000 in crypto currency was initially demanded. Clearly the assailants knew Mr Cepeljac had a lot of crypto currency.
'Mr Cepeljac was in a vulnerable situation because he was in the UK and did not know anyone.
'He was effectively detained for nine hours.
'All the valuable property he had was stolen in the incident, and his Cartier glasses and his Louis Vuitton wallet was taken.'
After making him transfer the £2,000 they demanded he call a friend in Belgium to get more money but the friend reported the call to Belgian police, who alerted officers in the UK.
When Mr Cepeljac was of no more use to the gang, they sent him in a taxi back to St Pancras to take a Eurostar home.
Police spotted him in the departure lounge and he revealed to officers what happened, before leading them to the now deserted flat where he had been held.
Raaymakers later called Mr Capeljac 'discouraging him from talking to police or contacting the Belgium authorities.'
Mr Cepeljac was told by the defendants that they knew where he lived, and that people would turn up to his house if he spoke to the police, said Mr Dunham.
Through CCTV footage, phone data and tracing who had booked the Airbnb, officers tracked down the culprits three months later, on August 15 last year.
In his impact statement, that was read to the court, Mr Cepeljac said: 'The incident was very traumatic. At the time I just wanted to get home back to Belgium. It was only after I got home when I realised what had happened.
'I was intimidated with large knifes, and I was kicked and shoved. I only had bruises on my body, but it impacted me mentally.
'In December 2024, I was recommended by my doctor to seek psychiatric help. I have had flashbacks.'
Mr Cepeljac said he struggles with sleeping, especially when he remembers being 'in that room with knives and what they did to me'.
He added: 'I am more anxious and stressed then I was before. I struggled initially to trust people, and I now have trust issues, especially after receiving the messages from people pretending to be the police after the incident.
'The men who threatened me said they knew where I lived back in Belgium. I am now very nervous when i answer the front door. My parents are also weary… They have been supportive, but are also shaken by what happened.
'I am very nervous when coming off the Eurostar in London. I have considered never coming back to London.'
He said he has had to cancel many of his hairdressing appointments, which has hurt his income and damaged his business.
He added: 'I was extremely worried about travelling to London and seeing these people in court.
'Not only did I not want to see them, I also feared that there could be repercussions if I stood against them in court. More Trending
'I don't want to put myself or my parents in any further danger.'
Khalil, from Watford, Sharif, of Brent, Haji, of Ilford, and Raaymakers, of North Acton, denied charges of kidnap and false imprisonment, which were ordered to lie on file.
The judge, Recorder Nicola Shannon remanded the defendants in custody ahead of sentence on September 5.
She told them: 'This is clearly going to be a custodial sentence of some length.'
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