What was supposed to be a casual trip to London for a weekend getaway quickly spiraled into a terrifying ordeal for a young Belgian barber.
Quentin Cepeljac, just 21 years old and known for cutting the hair of football stars, had no idea he was walking into a dangerous trap set by a gang of criminals with big assumptions and even bigger demands.
From Friendly DMs to a Dangerous Setup
The whole episode began innocently enough.
Quentin had been chatting online with a young blonde woman who said she wanted to spend a luxury weekend with him in central London.
They’d connected through Instagram and TikTok, and after weeks of messaging, she convinced him to come over to the UK.
She claimed to be from a wealthy family, living the high life with properties abroad — a lifestyle that matched Quentin’s online image as an influencer and crypto trader.
A Promise of Luxury Leads to a Brutal Attack
But the moment Quentin landed in London, things took a sinister turn.
Instead of being welcomed into a tenth-floor apartment in the city, he was led to a shabby basement bedsit in Shepherd’s Bush.
The woman he had trusted — Davina Raaymakers, 20 — was part of the setup all along. Moments after arriving, Quentin was ambushed by three masked men.
The attackers — Adlan Haji, 28, her boyfriend; Alexander Khalil, 30; and Omar Sharif, 24 — weren’t subtle.
Quentin was grabbed, punched, and kicked. A machete was pressed to his throat while another blade threatened his leg.
During the nine-hour nightmare, they threatened to kill him and even played a video that showed someone being stabbed, just to drive their threats home.
A Shocking Reality Check for the Criminals
Their plan, however, began to unravel quickly.
The gang thought Quentin was sitting on a fortune, expecting him to transfer £500,000.
But when they forced him to log into his crypto wallet, all they found was a measly £6.71.
“Are you kidding me?” one of the thugs reportedly blurted out in disbelief.
Realizing their victim wasn’t the jackpot they hoped for, they lowered the ransom demand to £50,000, then eventually settled for the only £2,000 Quentin had in his account.
That money was hurriedly split among themselves and passed to friends and family.
Criminals’ Mistakes Help Crack the Case
The gang made more mistakes along the way.
One of the attackers, Sharif, had to leave by 7:30 p.m. due to his electronic tag and a strict 8 p.m. curfew.
As if that wasn’t sloppy enough, they allowed Quentin to call a friend back in Belgium to ask for more money — unaware that the friend immediately alerted the Belgian police.
That call set everything in motion. Authorities in Belgium contacted London’s Metropolitan Police, who acted swiftly. Quentin was eventually released and put on a train back to Brussels.
But before leaving, he led detectives to the now-vacant flat where the attack had taken place.
Although the place had been wiped clean with bleach, investigators pieced everything together using CCTV footage, booking records, and phone data.
Inside the Flying Squad’s Rapid Response
Detective Constable Jim Holland, part of the Met’s elite Flying Squad, said the case was unlike anything they’d seen before — a foreign national lured to London only to be violently blackmailed.
Detective Chief Inspector Laura Hillier emphasized that their strength lies in managing kidnap cases from the first emergency call to the final court judgment.
“We need victims to trust us, especially after they’ve been through something so traumatic,” she said.
“That trust is key to delivering justice.”
Long-Term Trauma and Legal Consequences
The emotional impact on Quentin has been immense.
In his victim statement, he shared that he now experiences severe anxiety, flashbacks, and an inability to feel safe alone or around women.
What was supposed to be a short, exciting trip left scars that may take years to heal.
As for the gang, all of them — who are currently unemployed — pleaded guilty to blackmail.
They are awaiting sentencing, and the judge made it clear they should expect lengthy prison terms.
The maximum sentence for blackmail in the UK is 14 years.
A Lucky Escape — and a Lesson in Digital Dangers
DC Holland summed it up perfectly: “This was a horrifying ordeal.
Quentin came to London for a relaxing trip with someone he thought he knew.
Instead, he was terrorized by a violent gang trying to squeeze money from him.
It’s thanks to his friend’s quick thinking and solid detective work that justice is now being served.”
He added, “No one deserves to be treated like this — especially someone who just came for a bit of peace and a break.”