New Tottenham player Lamela's brother kidnapped by 'gun-toting' carjackers

The younger brother of new Tottenham Hotspur player Erik Lamela was reportedly kidnapped by gun-toting carjackers near Buenos Aires in Argentina on Friday, just before Lamela's White Hart Lane debut.

Tottenham officials confirmed that record 30 million-pound signing Lamela was informed of the abduction of his brother Axel and the fact that his family was forced to hand over 600 pounds as ransom money, with the teenager released a couple of hours later in the evening.

According to the Mirror, Lamela's brother was not specifically targeted because of the footballer's fame, adding that such incidents are not uncommon in parts of South America.

The report mentioned that Axel's BMW was stolen as part of the attack, with the kidnappers using his mobile phone to call his family and demand the ransom.

According to Lamela's older brother Brian, the kidnappers told them to make sure that the police was not involved, adding that the kidnappers did not cover their faces when they came to their house to collect the ransom for which they were recorded by the security cameras in their home.