The model daughter of an affluent British business man has been kidnapped in Brazil alongside her husband and son. The model, Luciana Curtis, is currently recovering after her terrifying ordeal, which saw her ambushed by armed robbers.
They then held them for around 12 hours and reportedly took stole their car and money from their bank accounts before releasing them yesterday. Luciana has enjoyed a lucrative career, including working with Beyonce and appearing on the cover of several magazines.
She, along with her photographer husband Henrique Gendre, enjoyed a meal with their young 11-year-old son in Sao Paulo. As they left, the family were reportedly taken hostage.
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Local reports said they were stashed in a wooden shack located in Brasilandia over night. The area is one of Sao Paulo’s 96 districts. They supposedly were left with just a mattress, toilet and sink. When they were taken, they were in the so-called ‘upmarket area’ of Alto do Lapa. They were stuffed into a cramped family car to their captive building.
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The family left behind their eldest child, who was also staying in Brazil. When they realised the family had not returned, they called a relative who phoned the police and asked for urgent help. When the captors realised the police were looking for them, they released the family. They quickly got help from locals, who returned them to safety.
The criminals that took them hostage stole their car before abandoning the hideaway they had kept them in and are understood to have transferred money from the couple’s bank accounts to their own during the terrifying ordeal.
(Image: Getty Images)
A statement issued by the family says they’re doing well currently. Police said in a statement: “The armed criminals approached the victims outside a restaurant and took them captive. During the search by specialist police teams, the gang abandoned the family and fled.”
Ford Models beauty Luciana Curtis was born in Sao Paulo to British businessman father Malcolm Leo Curtis and Brazilian teacher mum Katia Maria Furtado de Mendonca Curtis. Luciana, who has 22,000 Instagram followers, earned an estimated million dollars to star in Revlon campaigns in 2001 alongside three other models.
Shortly afterwards she took part in the worldwide campaign for L’Oreal’s ‘True Match’ powder and foundation with Beyonce.
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