Get you up to speed: Britons arrested for staging fake kidnapping to extend holiday in Benidorm
Spanish police in Benidorm arrested two British men, aged 37 and 51, for simulating a kidnapping to extort money. The pair allegedly sent a relative a fake video showing one of them covered in blood while being threatened by the other with a knife, demanding £725. Following a tip-off from Interpol, police mobilised resources but called off a planned raid upon observing the alleged victim leaving the hotel with his supposed captor.
Two British men, aged 37 and 51, were arrested in Benidorm for simulating a kidnapping to extort £725 from a relative. A spokesman for Spain’s National Police in Alicante confirmed that the operation was initiated following a tip-off from Interpol, which had alerted authorities to potential abduction claims. According to police, both men face charges of simulating a crime and fraud, and one was additionally suspected of identity fraud after using a false name during his arrest.
Two British men, aged 37 and 51, have been arrested in Benidorm after allegedly staging a fake kidnapping to extort money. Following the incident, they could face significant compensation demands for disrupting police operations and potential prison sentences. A police investigation is ongoing, after receiving a tip-off from Interpol regarding the simulated crime.
What we know so far
Brits arrested for staging fake kidnap ‘to extend their Benidorm holiday’ | News World
Police officers arrested two Brits looking to stay for a good time (Credits: Shutterstock / PP Photos)
Two bungling Brits are accused of staging a bizarre fake kidnapping on each other to earn some extra holiday cash.
Hostage negotiators were rushed to their hotel after the pair allegedly sent a relative a fake video of a ‘kidnapper’ threatening his blood-soaked friend with a knife.
The ‘kidnapper’ told panicking family members to hand over £725 or he would kill the terrified Brit.
Spanish police tipped off through Interpol prepared for an assault on the hotel they believed was ‘kidnap’ location.
But the raid was called off at the last moment when they saw the alleged victim strolling out of the resort with his supposed captor.
After arresting the pair for simulating a crime and fraud, investigators revealed they could now face a huge compensation demand for virtually paralysing police activity in the holiday getaway as well as potential prison time.
Why wouldn’t you want to spend more time in beautiful Benidorm?
A spokesman for Spain’s National Police in Alicante, confirming the scale of the operation launched after the phoney kidnapping to extort money, said: ‘Officers in Benidorm have arrested two British men aged 37 and 51 for simulating a kidnap with the aim of making some quick cash.
‘Our investigation began after a tip-off from Interpol about the possible abduction of a British national in the resort.
‘A relative of the man who had apparently been kidnapped, who initially alerted authorities in the UK, said he had received videos in which the supposed victim was covered in blood and the alleged kidnapper was threatening him with a knife.
‘Officers contacted British consular officials so they could provide the images they’d received from the tipster.
‘The British authorities also provided recordings of conversations in which the ‘kidnapper’ made ransom demands saying the man he had hostage would be killed if the money wasn’t paid.
‘All police resources available in Benidorm were mobilised to prevent the victim suffering any harm given the apparent severity of the situation.
‘A police unit with officers based in Madrid who specialised in dealing with kidnaps and extortion were also mobilised.
‘They managed to establish direct phone contact with the relative of the man supposedly being held hostage who supplied a photo of the alleged kidnapper and information suggesting that if £725 wasn’t paid into the abductor’s bank account the other person would be killed.
‘This happened as a large number of officers from Benidorm Police Station were called on to try to locate the ‘kidnap location’.
‘The place where the alleged abductor and his victim could be was finally identified as a hotel in Benidorm where the man believed to be the kidnapper had checked in days earlier with another British man.
‘A discreet watch was placed on the hotel and preparations were being made for a possible rescue when officers spotted two men coming out of the establishment whose descriptions matched those of the alleged kidnapper and his victim who were chatting in a relaxed and amicable way.
‘Both men were intercepted and identified.
‘It soon became apparent the kidnap had been staged with the aim of earning quick cash and both were arrested on suspicion of simulating a crime and for fraud.
‘When they were being fingerprinted at a nearby police station, officers also discovered the supposed kidnapper had given a false name both when he checked into the hotel and when he identified himself to the police who arrested him.
‘He was subsequently read his rights for another suspected crime of identity fraud.’
The hotel where they were staying has not been named.
Last April police arrested a British woman accused of masterminding the bungled robbery and kidnap near Benidorm of a wealthy former partner with the help of her ex-husband.
The trio, all from the UK, were placed at the centre of a criminal investigation which began with the detentions of two men following an armed break-in and took an unexpected twist days later with the imprisonment of the female suspect.
Police sources said at the time they had evidence pointing to the unnamed woman instigating the crime after becoming saddled with debts and seeing her moneyed ex-lover as the solution to her financial problems.
Local reports said her ex-husband offered an alleged Portuguese accomplice EUROS 2,500 (POUNDS 2,150) to help give someone ‘a fright.’
Two tasers, an air pistol, three defence sprays, a Balaclava, gloves, face masks and a roll of duct tape were seized by police after they made the first two arrests.
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