It has been revealed that an 88-year-old multi millionaire who was held captive for two years suffered at the hands of her very own driver.
Regina Gonçalves is finally free after sneaking past her captor, 53-year-old José Chaves, by sneaking out of the back door in January this year.
Regina was being held captive in her own home in Copacabana, Brazil.
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The socialite has described how her ex-driver José kept her apart from family for two years.
How she escaped her captor
Her bizarre story, which she shared to Folha de São Paulo newspaper, quotes her as saying: "I got up, picked up my bag and walked out the back door. He wanted to follow, but I walked faster than him."
It has since emerged that José hasn't been arrested, but must stay 250ft away from Regina at all times.
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Regina has now returned to her apartment in which she was previously held.
Regina's staggering wealth
Her wealth can be traced back to her marriage to Nestor Gonçalves, the owner of card-making company Copag.
The wedded couple didn't have children, and so Regina went on to inherit his fortune - valued at a staggering $500 million.
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Regina has claimed that José remains in control of her assets, and that during her captivity he sold off her $1.9 million collection of jewellery, sold a mansion in São Conrado below market value, and left her bank account empty.
As for how the alarm was raised, Regina had a reputation for extravagant parties, but they came to an abrupt end in May 2022.
The police department in Rio de Janiero then received a call that she was missing, made anonymously.
Reportedly, nobody heard from Regina directly, and José went on to reply on her behalf and claimed she was unwell.
'Coerced, oppressed and humiliated in private prison'
There have been reports that Regina married José in 2021 but Regina has denied this.
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She stated: "He was never my husband, he was a chauffeur. I am the widow of the great businessman Nestor Gonçalves."
It has also come to light that family members did attempt to help Regina.
Her nephew, Álvaro O’Hara, made an attempt to report his concerns to law enforcement after he received a note from her 'begging for help', but was stopped after one of José’s ‘henchmen’ followed him to the police station.
He also claims there have been three attempts on his life.
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He concluded: "The only reason I wasn’t killed was because one of the condominium security guards thought the movement was strange, passed by on a motorcycle, honked the horn, pressed the bell and the guy ran away scared.
"My aunt lived coerced, oppressed and humiliated in private prison. She suffered all types of psychological and physical violence."
Ultimately, Regina's family claim José abused her both domestically and psychologically.
The have also claimed José was drugging her, which led to her agreeing that José could assume guardianship and legal representation over her in the event she became mentally incapable.
Featured Image Credit: Reprodução/Fantástico / Instagram/@narcisatTopics: Crime, World News