Men who kidnapped Bernie Ecclestone’s mother in law and demanded £28 million ransom are members of a European crime gang who struck while pretending to be delivery men
The raiders have said they want the funds delivered in cash in four separate bags to guarantee the 67-year-old's safe return
COPS searching for the kidnapped mother-in-law of F1 Billionaire Bernie Ecclestone in Brazil believe the captors were masterminded by a European organised crime gang.
The kidnappers have demanded a £28 million ransom for the safe return of Aparecida Schunk, the mum of Ecclestone's wife Fabiana Flossi.
They have said they want the funds delivered in cash in four separate bags to guarantee the 67-year-old's safety.
Sao Paulo Police's elite anti-kidnap division are frantically searching for clues to locate the billionaire's mother-in-law who has now been missing for a week.
A source said: “The sophistication of the kidnapping and the information that has been received so far has left officers in no doubt this was meticulously planned, possibly over several months.
“Very few people in Sao Paulo knew who Ms Schunck is related to.
“Police believe someone from outside Brazil masterminded the elaborate abduction after finding out she is Mr Ecclestone’s mother-in-law.
"Officers have information indicating that the architect of recent kidnappings which targeted high-worth individuals was led by a criminal from Europe.
"It is a line of investigation the police are actively pursuing.”
Ms Schunk was taken from her home in the wealthy area of Jardim Santa Helena during the early hours of last Friday morning.
Her two maids were also at the residence when the intercom sounded and two men claimed they were delivering a box.
After one maid answered the door the kidanppers, believed to be in their late teens, barged in and took all three hostage, reports.
The 85-year-old motor racing mogul is understood to have now increased security around his family.
His daughters, 32-year-old Tamara and Petra, 27, were seen with bodyguards as they shopped in LA on Wednesday.
Ecclestone met Ms Shunck’s daughter Fabiana in 2009 in the run-up to the Brazilian Grande Prix in Interlagos, where she was working as marketing director for Brazil’s F1.
The couple wed three years later after Ecclestone divorced his wife of 25 years, Croatian model Slavica Radic, to marry the young Brazilian.
The tycoon’s divorce settlement with Radic was estimated to be a whopping £594 million which is reportedly the biggest in UK history.
Fabiana and her mother, who continued living in the Interlagos district of São Paulo, have remained in close contact.
In a Facebook post on Mother’s Day: “Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, and especially mine. There are no words to thank so much love and dedication. Thank you Mum, I love you.”
Formula 1 boss Ecclestone is the UK’s fourth richest person with an estimated £3.2billion fortune, and one of the most powerful people in sport.
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