- Metropolitan Police want to question two women over the disappearance of Carole Waugh, 50
- Her bank cards were used in the Westfield shopping centre at Shepherds Bush on July 13
- Businesswoman has not been seen since a Central London shopping trip on May 4. She failed to turn up to family celebrations for her birthday
- Miss Waugh worked in the oil industry and finance, including stints in Libya
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A millionairess is believed to have been kidnapped by a gang who have been emptying her bank accounts.
Carole Waugh, 50, vanished from her 650,000 flat on May 4 and has not been heard from since.
Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been taken from her bank and her cash cards have been used in shopping sprees at the Westfield centre in West London.
These images were taken at the Westfield shopping centre in Shepherds Bush on Friday July 13. Detectives want to speak to the two women pictured here in connection with the search for Miss Waugh
Scotland Yard released CCTV images yesterday of two women buying goods there with Miss Waugh's bank cards on July 13.
Detectives believe the pair may be part of a gang that abducted her and made her divulge her PINs.
The former civil servant, who made a fortune working in Libya as a finance manager for oil companies during the reign of Colonel Gaddafi, returned to London in 2008, apparently looking for love.
She was single and police are trying to trace men she may have met through internet dating sites.
Yesterday it emerged that power cables to a CCTV camera pointing at her flat were cut in the lead-up to her disappearance.
Neighbours have reported large numbers of people coming and going from her home following her disappearance.
Carole Waugh was last seen shopping in Central London on May 4. She failed to turn up for family birthday celebrations or for the start of a new job in Malta
Yesterday her brother Chris, a 54-year-old bank manager, said: 'She is a very confident businesswoman who has done very well for herself.
'She is very wealthy and she doesn't need to work. Despite her being a very focused businesswoman, she was looking for Mr Right.
'I think someone has targeted her as a single woman in London with a nice property and money and we don't know if they have befriended her or just taken her.'
Just before she went missing, Miss Waugh turned down a job offer in Malta and was planning a 50th birthday trip to Las Vegas with a group of friends.
Her brother and 78-year-old mother Margaret, who both live in Durham, last saw her at Easter when she told them about the American trip scheduled for June. 'She seemed fine. She was really looking forward to it,' added Mr Waugh.
'She was not worried about turning 50. She was looking forward to all the fuss and attention.
'She phoned her mother every other day and suddenly the calls just stopped. My mother is absolutely beside herself.
'We are very concerned about her. My mother is rather ill and it has had a real impact on her health.'
Forensic experts are now examining Miss Waugh's two-bedroom flat near Marble Arch in central London for signs of a break-in or struggle.
Police say she was last seen shopping in the capital on May 4.
Her hobbies included going to the opera, ballet and jogging and she was often seen sporting a 4,000 Cartier gold bracelet and a man's Breitling watch worth a similar amount.
Miss Waugh's family say her disappearance is 'totally out of character'
Last week police arrested four men and two women on suspicion of fraud and kidnap. Five of those have been bailed while inquiries continue.
Detectives were last night quizzing the sixth suspect over a number of dubious financial transactions on Miss Waugh's account.
Detective Chief Inspector John McFarlane, of the Met's homicide and serious crime group, said: 'Miss Waugh is a successful businesswoman, originally from the Durham area.
'She has worked in the Middle East and has maintained a home in central London for a number of years.
'Her disappearance is very out of character. Both her family and I are very concerned, and ask for the help of the public in tracing her.'
Miss Waugh moved to London at 25 and spent eight years working for Veba Oil in Libya from 2000 to 2008.
Anyone with information should contact police on 020 8721 4205 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Poor woman, I desperately hope she's still alive but I worry that she isn't. My thoughts to her family.
- Su, NZ, 24/7/2012 05:36
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