A wealthy British businessman living in Ecuador who was kidnapped by a group of 15 men dressed as police officers at his farm during an early morning raid was freed on Wednesday, ending a five-day nightmare.
Colin Armstrong, 78, was at his property with his partner Katherine Paola Santos on December 16 when the men forced their way into the property and kidnapped the couple, according to Sky News citing local reports.
Armstrong, president of the Ecuadorian agricultural company Agripac, and Paola Santos were taken hostage in the millionaire’s black BMW.
Ecuadorian police tracked the car heading south from the property to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s second largest city.
Armstrong was apparently freed and found on a highway in the coastal province of Manabí, 118 miles from where police lost track of Armstrong’s BMW, said Ecuador’s police chief, César Augusto Zapata Correa. announced in X Wednesday morning.
Reports suggest that Armstrong’s kidnappers were from the Los Tiguerones gang, but officials have not yet confirmed the connection.
British millionaire Colin Armstrong was freed earlier this week after 15 men dressed in police suits broke into his home in Ecuador and kidnapped him and his partner. Tupgill Park Estate Seven of the nine people arrested in connection with the kidnappings are lined up by police to have their photo taken. National Police of Ecuador/Facebook
Police arrested nine people in connection with Armstrong’s kidnapping during an operation called “Freedom 122,” where 30 homes were searched.
During the raids, documented on body camera, The police seized 5 grenades, 6 long and short firearms, 1,500 ammunition, 30 detonators, 9 mobile phones and 2 vehicles used in the kidnapping along with “2 kilos of substances that are being analyzed,” Zapata Correa said at a press conference. .
Photos released by police captured the items lined up on the ground, which included four handguns, a rifle, a shotgun, boxes of ammunition, police vests, radios and the packaged substances.
Footage of the aftermath of the kidnappings on Baba’s Ecuador property showed dried blood on a bed and a broken door frame, according to SkyNews.
Police arrested nine people in connection with Armstrong’s kidnapping during an operation called “Freedom 122,” where 30 homes were searched. Ecuadorian National Police/Facebook Photos released by police captured the items lined up on the ground, which included four handguns, a rifle, a shotgun, boxes of ammunition, police vests, radios and the packaged substances. National Police of Ecuador/Facebook A police vest, two pistols and ammunition are found on a bed after a raid, apart from operation “Libertad 122”. National Police of Ecuador/Facebook
Paola Santos, a Colombian national, was found 24 hours after her kidnapping when she showed up at the home of Armstrong’s adult son in a taxi and dressed in a bulletproof vest, according to the US Sun.
The outlet added that Paola Santos was sent to the house to demand a ransom for the cartel group, but a bomb squad was called and her vest was successfully removed.
Police questioned Paola Santos about her and Armstrong’s kidnapping after she was released.
Armstrong made his fortune through the farming business he founded in 1972, which he now runs with the help of his son and owns the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate in Yorkshire, England.
Police in Ecuador released a photo of Armstrong after he was freed from his captors earlier this week. Ecuadorian Police/X/@CmdtPoliciaEc During the raid, packages with an unknown substance were seized and are currently being analyzed by the police. National Police of Ecuador/Facebook In one of the raids, boxes with a total of approximately 1,500 ammunition were also seized. National Police of Ecuador/Facebook
The estate is home to the Forbidden Corner, a garden tourist attraction created by Armstrong and nicknamed “The Strangest Place on Earth.”
Armstrong was also appointed honorary consul of the United Kingdom to Ecuador in 2016 and was awarded the OBE and Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George for his services to the British Monarchy in 2011.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn