This photograph of Janet was taken by her best friend Blanka, on their holiday to Prague in 2016, just after Christmas. While Janet was Australian born to Australian parents, Blanka was Australian born as well but to Czechoslovakian parents. From the rooftop of a city building, Janet was overlooking the Vltava River and the Church of St. Nicholas, the building with the dome and green spires. She was also trying to match the landscape in front of her to what was on her map. A long way from their native Australia, this was the start of an horrific skiing holiday gone wrong.
Janet was born in 1998 in the small alpine village of Perisher, in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains, Australia. The permanent population there is a mere one hundred and fifty residents. Janet, her father and mother, live there permanently. The skiing at Perisher is great in winter. Perisher Village is the biggest and best skiing complex by far in Australia. Hundreds of thousands of skiers, snowboarders and small kids who just want to make a snowman, visit Perisher Village each year. Janet’s father owns a ski resort there, as well as running one of the ski lifts. Janet learnt how to ski around the same time as she learnt to walk. During her short life, she has been to Falls Creek, Thredbo and Mount Buller with friends, but nothing has ever compared to Perisher.
Janet’s schooling was done at a small alpine town named Jindabyne only a short distance away. Jindabyne has a total population of around 2,600 permanent residents with some residents scattered throughout the nearby hills. It was at primary school where Janet first met Blanka who lived in Jindabyne. The two girls were in the same class, at both the local primary and secondary schools where they stayed until they completed year 12. Blanka is a common female Czechoslovakian name meaning, “The White One”. They were always the best of friends and were very seldom apart. Her father and mother were both born in Czechoslovakia but fled the Republic of Czechoslovakia when its government went through a major upheaval some twenty-two years ago. Pasha, her father, has worked for Janet’s father at Perisher ever since he arrived in Australia. Aneta, his wife, also worked for Janet’s parents at Perisher during the snow season. Blanka has an uncle, aunt and two male cousins who still live in Prague, but she has never met them before.
Some two months prior to Christmas, Blanka’s uncle contacted her father and invited both Blanka and Janet to Prague for Christmas, so they could experience some of the best snowfields in Europe. Konrad, Blanka’s uncle must have heard about Janet from correspondence between her father and her uncle over a period of time. Konrad also wanted to enter Janet and Blanka in a cross-country ski tournament in early January. Once Janet found out about being invited over there with Blanka, she hounded her parents until they gave her their blessings to go. Janet’s parents thought it would be a trip of a lifetime for her as well as getting some valuable skiing experience in Europe.
With time rapidly running out, both Janet and Blanka had to obtain passports to be able to travel to Europe. Under normal circumstances it couldn’t be done so quickly, but Blanka’s uncle must have pulled a few strings with the Australian Federal Government, stating that he had entered both the girls in a cross-country skiing competition at Boží Dar, situated in the Ore Mountains, some 140 Km north-west of Prague.
Pasha, Blanka’s father, then contacted his brother Konrad by phone in Prague. Pasha stated that the best time for departure would be on December 27, two days after Christmas as Boxing Day was a public holiday and travel would be chaotic. Konrad then said the best way would be for him to transfer money for the fares to Pasha and let Pasha purchase the tickets. Pasha was happy with that arrangement, wished his bother an indebted thank you, and then hung up the telephone.
Two days later, the money was transferred into Pasha’s bank account and Pasha proceeded to make the bookings for both the girls’ flights. Both Janet and Blanka were to depart Sydney Airport on January 27, departing at 16:55 pm. Australian time. The flight was due to have one connection at Dubai before heading to Prague. The estimated time of arrival at Prague was 07:00 am. the following day. With a 10-hour time zone difference between the two countries, the actual flight time from Sydney to Prague was estimated at twenty-four hours and five minutes.
Christmas Day arrived all too quickly. With only two days until their departure, both Janet and Blanka were beside themselves, looking forward to their European skiing holiday. Janet’s parents invited Blanka and her parents over for Christmas dinner. Christmas was the last thing on the girls’ minds as the whole day was taken up talking about their skiing holiday in Prague. Both their parents were highly excited as well. The day was spent opening presents, having a roast turkey dinner and a few drinks in the afternoon. Blanka and her parents left for their home in the early evening after a marvellous Christmas Day. That night. Janet found it hard to sleep with all the expectations of her imminent European trip buzzing around in her brain.
Tuesday, 27 December 2016, (Australian time)
The trip from Perisher to Sydney via Jindabyne is some 480 km long and the expected trip, without any problems, should take around seven and a half hours. To be on the safe side, Janet’s father left Perisher Village at 8:00 am, some ninety minutes earlier than suggested. They allowed for any heavy traffic, punctured tyres and processing of luggage at the airport. Janet’s father’s first port of call was into Jindabyne to pick up Blanka and her luggage.
After picking up Blanka, they all travelled down Kosciuszko Road which lead them into the Monaro Highway and subsequently into Canberra, the capital City of Australia. In turn, the Federal Highway took them all into Goulburn, one of the coldest places in Australia in winter. The Federal Highway then became the Hume Highway which took them all the way into Sydney. With reasonable traffic for the busy holiday period and hot sunny weather, Janet’s father arrived at the airport around 14:50 pm, some two hours before their departure. He dropped everyone off at the airport while he found a parking spot some distance away.
The airport was absolutely packed and moving around was difficult. By the time Janet and Blanka had processed their luggage, booked in and everything else, they were some thirty minutes from boarding time. Janet gave her parents a big hug and kiss before she and Blanka headed off to the departure lounge. Janet’s parents were behind them and looking through the glass window. As the girls’ flight was paged through the speaker, Janet and Blanka blew kisses and waved goodbye to Janet’s mum and dad.
Travelling for all those hours by car and in 38 degrees C heat (100 degrees F), even with air conditioning, had made the girls exhausted. Janet and Blanka tiredly trudged the distance across the tarmac towards the plane, before being welcomed and ushered into their Emirates aircraft by a very efficient air hostess.
After all the passengers and crew were aboard the plane and seated, the girls were greeted by the Captain over the intercom. Janet was too excited about her trip to worry about what he had to say. If Janet needed anything onboard the plane, she would just page one of the air hostesses. Shortly afterwards, the jet engines fired up and the plane began to taxi down the runway. After turning a half circle at the end of the runway, the engines revved up and then the plane sped up and accelerated along the runway. Janet heard what sounded like a bang or a bump and they were airborne and on their way.
Once in the air, all the passengers were greeted by the hostesses or flight attendants to put them at ease. Having never flown before, it was all a new experience for Janet and Blanka. Before long, all the passengers had placed their order for an evening meal. Janet was so tired that she drifted off to sleep before the meal arrived. Blanka gave Janet a little nudge to awaken her so she could get a good meal in before drifting off to La-la Land. Both Janet and Blanka quickly fell into a deep sleep after their evening meal and slept soundly throughout the night.
The girls awoke in the morning without having a clue as to what the real time was, as they had crossed over several time zones throughout the night. After breakfast, the plane headed onto and landed in Dubai where all the passengers got off to change planes. A couple of hours later, Janet and Blanka boarded their new plane which took them into Prague. Their time of arrival in Prague was 06:50 am Prague time, which was some ten minutes early due to a tail wind for a long part of the final journey.
After landing, the girls followed the rest of the passengers to the airport terminal to gather their luggage and go through customs. While they were waiting in the airport, Janet noticed a sign attached to a long stick with the words, BLANKA & JANET. Janet assumed the three people under the sign were Konrad, her uncle; as well as Pavel and Alois, her cousins. Once through customs, the two girls met up with their hosts before heading off to the car park. Awaiting them all was a chauffeur driven Mercedes Benz. Janet thought that Konrad must be very rich owning a huge Mercedes Benz and also to employ a chauffeur.
The trip from the airport to Konrad’s mansion took about twenty-five minutes. The roads were slushy and a bit slippery, far from the 40-degree C heat back in Australia. After alighting from the car, the girls were ushered inside where they were greeted and welcomed by Gabriela, Blanka’s aunt. Gabriela asked Blanka and Janet if they would like a shower to freshen up and put on some winter clothing. Gabriela also showed the girls to their bedroom that had two single beds, a wardrobe, two bedside tables with lamps, and an ensuite. Local time in Prague was now 8:30 am local time or 6:30 pm Australian time. Both Janet and Blanka phoned up their parents back in Australia to let them know of their safe arrival in Prague and that they were now at Blanka’s uncles’ place.
Following all the introductions, Janet and Blanka badly needed a catnap, as travelling such a great distance was very tiring. Being Prague’s winter, it was dark there by 5:00 pm. Konrad told the girls that dinner would be served at 6:00 pm sharp. Both Janet and Blanka had a quick shower before sleeping for some five hours. On awakening, the local time was nearly 2:00 pm in the afternoon. The next few hours were used to get acquainted with Konrad and his family.
Janet and Blanka learnt that Konrad was a curate in a Prague museum, specializing in ancient Egyptian artefacts and architecture. Konrad also had a large warehouse where items were both stored before being displayed in his museum or where goods were dispatched to other museums around the world. Both the girls were impressed and thought that Konrad must be very rich. Both of his sons worked for Konrad and made sure deliveries were expedited efficiently and effectively.
Rather than employ a cook, Gabriela preferred to do all the cooking herself as she loved cooking. Only when Konrad and her entertained guests, did she employ catering staff to help. Gabriela did a wonderful job in preparing a native dish of roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut. Locals would call the dish: (vepřo, knedlo, zelo). Gabriela also prepared another national dish for desert; being, yeast cakes or (Kolače) as it is locally referred to. The meal was complemented by a local wine from the Moravia district in Czechoslovakia, being a Vino z Czech Michlovsky Dry Riesling.
Before retiring for the night, both Pavel and Alois asked Janet and Blanka if they would like a tour of the city the following day. Already overwhelmed with Konrad’s hospitality, the girls excitedly agreed to their offer. Janet and Blanka then retired to their rooms for some much-needed sleep.
Wednesday, 28 December 2016, (Czechoslovakian time)
Both Janet and Blanka slept soundly through the nigh and awoke very much refreshed. They showered and got dressed and went downstairs to the dining room to have breakfast with Konrad and his family. At around 9:00 am, Pavel contacted his father’s chauffeur and they all headed off on a sightseeing tour of Prague. There had been some snowing overnight and there was snow covering rooftops and on the ground.
The first place was to a vantage point overlooking the Vltava River, where Blanka took a photograph of Janet with a map in her hand trying to get her bearings. Pavel pointed out a few of the city’s sights to Janet and Blanka before going back to their chauffeur. There was so much to see in Prague, so the girls left it to Pavel and Alois’ discretion to pick out the best places to see.
Pavel suggested they go to the (Petrinska rozhledna or Petrin Hill Lookout) first so they could virtually overlook the whole city from the top. The lookout stood at 216 feet tall (63.5 metres). On arrival, they all went to the top to get a breathtaking view of everything. Some things couldn’t be seen too clearly due to snow that fell overnight. As far as landmarks go, Pavel was able to point out hundreds of landmarks and places of interest through the large binoculars there.
After getting back to the Mercedes Benz, Pavel suggested to the girls to take the Vltava River Cruise which took about three hours to travel along and back again. Both Pavel and Alois gave the girls a running commentary of all the places of interest. The girls were madly clicking their cameras, taking countless photographs of the wonderful city.
By the end of the boat ride, there was still time enough to visit Wallenstein Palace which was built in the 1620’s. The palace was still in excellent condition after going through numerous renovations. After an exciting but exhausting day, the chauffeur drove everyone back home again to freshen up and get ready for dinner.
After dinner, everyone chatted about the tour of Prague by Pavel, Alois and the two female guests. At 9:00 pm sharp, Janet phoned her parents again to tell them she was safe and was having the best time of her life. Blanka did the same thing and spoke to her parents as well. The girls then retired to their bedroom for a much-earned sleep.
Thursday, 29 December 2016, (Czechoslovakian time)
After breakfast, the routine was pretty much the same as the previous day. Pavel suggested they visit Wallenstein Palace and the Grevin Prague Wax Museum. The girls were happy to go along with whatever the boys suggested as they knew the city much better than them. Their chauffeur took them to both locations and paid the entrance fees for both tours. The girls were so happy as they were being treated like royalty and visited places beyond their imagination. This was indeed a trip of a lifetime and a vast contrast to Perisher valley and Jindabyne.
At this stage of their trip, Janet started to get feelings for Pavel due to his kindness and demeanour. While traveling in the Mercedes, Janet took Pavel’s hand with hers and held it tight. Janet also leant against Pavel and placed her head on his shoulders.
While touring through Wallenstein Palace, Pavel said that a good fall of snow was forecast for the following day and one of the best places to ski at was at Boží Dar, some 140 Km to the North-West of Prague. The estimated traveling time to get there was around two hours, allowing for traffic and getting through Prague. Boží Dar was the skiing resort where Konrad had entered both the girls in for a skiing competition commencing the following week. He asked the girls if they wanted to go skiing there and both the girls’ eyes lit up and their heads nodded like corks bobbing on large ocean waves.
Pavel then asked Janet and Blanka if they wanted to go out to a restaurant for dinner that night. The girls could not believe what they were experiencing and accepted Pavel’s invitation with a nod and a kiss. Pavel then booked a table for four at Ujezd 20, Prague. The booking was for 7:00 pm.
Janet and Blanka were sensible enough to bring with them some good quality clothing in case they decided to tour Prague by day or night and have a meal somewhere. The chauffeur dropped the group off at the mansion before parking the car. Pavel had already told his mother not to cook for anyone that night as he and Alois were entertaining the girls elsewhere. As they entered the mansion, Janet turned to Pavel and gave him a full kiss on the lips. Pavel reciprocated and the two held each other tight.
The restaurant wasn’t all that far from where Konrad lived, so Pavel had the chauffeur drop them all off at the restaurant by 6:45 pm. Pavel told his chauffeur that he would call him when they were ready to be picked up.
The night went well, and the restaurant and meal exceeded all expectations. As the following day was going to be a very long and exhausting day, traveling to and skiing the slopes at Boží Dar, the group departed for home just before 9:30 pm. The first thing the girls did when they got back to Konrad’s mansion was to phone their parents and tell them where they had been and what they had done. They also told their parents that they were going skiing the next day and would phone them as soon as they got back. Janet and Blanka told their parents how much they loved them and missed them and wished they were in Prague with them.
While most of the bedrooms were located upstairs, Pavel’s bedroom was downstairs. Blanka was exhausted after the days trip and told Janet she was going to bed. Janet replied, “I will be up there soon Blanka, I will say goodnight to Pavel first.”
Both Janet and Pavel chatted in the lounge, nestled together on the couch and their lips instinctively nearing each other’s. Their first kiss was short before dropping off and looking into each other’s eyes. Their second kiss was long and embracing. Janet let her left-hand wander across her body and into Pavel’s groin, where she felt a hard-erect penis. Desperate to be fucked, Janet whispered to Pavel, “Take me to your bedroom and let’s make love.” Janet was in love and she let Pavel know it. Just before dawn, Janet found her way back to her own bedroom to be near Blanka.
Friday, 30 December 2016, (Czechoslovakian time)
Janet and Blanka awoke in the morning, all abuzz and looking forward to a great day’s skiing at Boží Dar. After breakfast, both the boys and girls packed their gear into Konrad’s Toyota 4Runner and they were ready to leave. The 140-kilometre journey took just over two hours as the vehicle meandered around the winding road as they climbed towards the ski fields. Boží Dar is the highest altitude town in Czechoslovakia and is located on the Czechoslovakian-German border.
Boží Dar is serviced by nine ski lifts that lead to eight pistes to cater for all levels of a skier’s proficiency. There is one expert trail, three intermediate trails and four easy trails. As Janet and Blanka had been entered for a tournament there the following week, they all chose the expert trail. Pavel and Alois were amazed at the ability of Janet and Blanka, especially Janet. Time magically evaporated and before the party knew it, it was 4:30 pm in the afternoon. Being winter, the light was also starting to fade fast. Pavel suggested they all head back to the car park and have a light meal at one of eight restaurants in the close vicinity.
Pavel had skied at Boží Dar on numerous occasions and recommended the Hospudka Spicak Restaurant, so the girls were happy to take his advice. Just before leaving, after having deserts, Pavel went to the bar and ordered one last round of drinks. On the way back from the bar, Pavel dropped a Rohypnol tablet in each of the girls’ glasses of wine and waited for them to dissolve before going back to their table. Pavel, Alois and Blanka skulled their drink very quickly, whereas Janet only had a couple of sips of her wine before leaving the unfinished drink on the table.
Once they reached their vehicle in the car park, they got in and started their long journeyy back home, or so the girls thought. After a very long day, the girls were very tired and fell asleep quickly with the help of the drug as well. Instead of going back to Prague the way they came, Pavel headed back via an alternate route which was some ten kilometres longer. Pavel headed directly south from Boží Dar to a large town named Carlsbad with a population of some fifty-thousand people. Carlsbad is world famous for its hot springs. After passing through Carlsbad, Pavel turned right to enter a heavily forested area that was unlit and there were no sealed roads. What roads are there, are only fire-breaks to be used in emergencies in summer in case of an outbreak of bush fires.
A friend of Konrad owns a small parcel of land in the forest which has a small wood cabin on the property. It is mostly used in summer for small-game hunting and relaxation. In the cabin is a double bed, table, chairs, blankets, kerosene heater, a fireplace and an electricity generator.
On arrival at the cabin, the girls were out to it, due to both tiredness and the effects of the spiked drink. Pavel tried to awaken Janet and Blanka, but they were both unresponsive. Pavel phoned his father to inform him that both Janet and Blanka had successfully been kidnapped and were now with them in the cabin. The next part of the well-planned sting was now to be utilized.
Konrad then told Pavel that at 7:00 am sharp, he had to phone Janet’s father and to tell him that Janet and Blanka had been kidnapped and that there was a $5 million ransom that had to be paid if he wanted to see Janet alive again. As for Blanka, she was just collateral damage and was expendable. Konrad was sure that Janet’s father would inform his brother that his daughter had been kidnapped.
Saturday, 31 December 2016, (Czechoslovakian time)
At 7:00 am sharp, Pavel did as he was instructed and phoned up Janet’s father in Australia. The time in Australia was 5:00 pm sharp and on the same day, due to the ten-hour time zone difference between the countries. Using Janet’s mobile phone, Pavel connected with her father.
On answering the call, Janet’s father said, “Hi Janet, I was worried about you as you never called last night.”
Pavel replied, “This is not Janet. Janet is here, still asleep, and with her friend Blanka. Now listen carefully, very carefully! Janet and Blanka have been kidnapped but are safe for the moment. You are required to pay a ransom of $5,000,000 US if you want to see Janet and her friend alive again.”
Janet’s father, trying to comprehend what the caller was talking about, chipped in saying, “I don’t have that kind of money! I have assets, but I don’t have cash or any other available means to pay anything! Besides, the banks are closed until Tuesday as Monday, being New Year’s Day, is a public holiday.” Who am I talking to anyway?”
Pavel replied, “It doesn’t matter who I am or who I am working for, all I need is a mere $5 million US.”
Janet’s father replied, “I must talk to Janet before anything can happen, so I know that she is still alive. As soon as she wakes up, if she is indeed asleep, get her to phone me. We can then take it from there.”
Pavel said, “You can contact me anytime using Janet’s mobile phone number as I will have her phone with me all the time,” said Pavel. With that, Pavel terminated the conversation.
Now, on the other side of the world, Janet’s father had bought three days grace. Immediately on ending the conversation with Pavel, Janet’s father contacted the Australian Federal Police and told them about the ransom on his daughter in Prague. He also told them where Janet had been staying while in Prague prior to the kidnap at Boží Dar. The Australian Federal Police, in turn, contacted Interpol to see if they could shed any light on the kidnap and ransom.
Pavel then phoned Konrad and told him about his conversation with Janet’s father. Konrad was not a happy man but there was nothing anybody could do until Janet woke up from her drugging.
Snow was still falling outside, and the temperature was very cold, to say the least. Alois got the kerosene heater going while Pavel went outside to kickstart the electric generator. Pavel then sent Alois into the town of Carlsbad nearby, to buy some food and other supplies as they would all be at the hut for at least three days.