Two British men have been arrested in Benidorm on suspicion of staging a fake kidnapping in an attempt to extort holiday cash from a relative. The alleged scheme unravelled after the pair sent a bogus video showing one of them covered in blood and being threatened with a knife, prompting a major police operation.
The suspects, aged 37 and 51, are accused of simulating a crime and fraud after demanding a ransom of just £725 (€830). The video was sent to a relative in the UK, who alerted authorities, leading to a tip-off from Interpol to Spanish police. Officers in Benidorm suspended all other investigations and mobilised a large number of personnel, including a specialist anti-hostage unit based in Madrid.
Investigators said the relative provided recordings of conversations in which the alleged kidnapper threatened to kill the hostage if the money was not paid. Police identified a hotel in Benidorm where the supposed abductor had checked in days earlier with another British man. A discreet watch was placed on the building, and preparations were made for a possible rescue.
The operation was called off when officers spotted two men matching the descriptions of the captor and victim leaving the hotel together, chatting in a relaxed and amicable manner. Both were intercepted and arrested. During fingerprinting, officers discovered that the man believed to be the kidnapper had given a false name when checking into the hotel and when identifying himself to police, leading to an additional suspicion of identity fraud.
A spokesman for Spain’s National Police in Alicante confirmed the scale of the deployment, saying all police resources in Benidorm were mobilised given the apparent severity of the situation. The two men could now face a significant compensation demand for disrupting policing in the resort, as well as potential prison time.
