Israeli businessman Moshe Benedek recounted, in an interview with Channel 12 News on Monday, his kidnapping by criminal elements in Brazil last week.
On Thursday at 2:00 p.m., Benedek left his office in Sao Paulo, and made his way to a dinner he had planned with his daughter. Benedek did not arrive for dinner and it subsequently turned out that he had been kidnapped by local criminals.
"They moved me to the back seat and, in order for me to be under their control, [one of them] hit me in the head with the gun and I bled a lot," he recalled, saying, "Drops of blood started to fall from my face, blood fell on my clothes and then I said, 'Okay, I'm in their hands now' and let’s see where we go from here."
The kidnappers led Benedek around a field and placed him in an abandoned house. "To my surprise, I get out of the car covered in blood, and I see in front of me a typical Brazilian soccer field with children playing soccer. They lead me around the field to a demolished home, put my head down and put me in a room. They put me in a chair and immediately take off my shoes and place something on me so that I cannot move my hands, they put a mask over my face so I can't see."
"I understood from them that killing me would be a problem for them. On the other hand, I saw people with drugs, and when they point a gun at your head, any mistake can end in death. And when they are nervous - nervousness, drugs, stress and a gun do not go together. And I realized that I am under real distress."
After nearly 20 very difficult hours, Benedek was released and left the house to which he was forcibly rushed. "If there is one positive thing in this whole story, it is how many people viewed my life as important. It gives us strength to continue with life and do good things."