By Nermeen Nabil Khear 
Spanish police have arrested three British men in connection to the kidnap of a United Kingdom cryptocurrency broker. The police recently released footage showing the moment that they surrounded the vehicle transporting the trio as they attempted to flee.
According to the Spanish police, the kidnappers attempted to flee the scene in an Audi after they discovered that their operation had been blown. The police subsequently cuffed them and took them into custody. Police reports revealed that the trio had kidnapped the crypto trader, taking him hostage, and demanded £25,000 before they let him go.
The report also revealed that they encountered the crypto trader by chance in Marbella, inviting him to their apartment in a resort close to Estepona. The kidnappers were said to have rented the apartment temporarily before they carried out the criminal offense.
Spanish police track and arrest suspects
According to the authorities, after the gang held the crypto broker hostage, they demanded the code to access the crypto wallet. However, the 34-year-old broker outsmarted them by pretending to be on a phone with a customer after giving them half of the code. He then called his friend in London to tell him that he had been kidnapped in a language that his captors didn’t know.
The broker’s friend called his mother, who then called the authorities and told them about the kidnap. After the authorities were alerted, they started a search to locate the exact place he was being held, only with an initial knowledge that it was around the Estepona area.
The Spanish police mobilized men to the location after successfully tracking it down, but the crypto trader saw an opportunity after a lapse in concentration from his abductors and took it. While his abductors tried to chase after him, one of them was looking at his mobile phone while he was running, leading him to jump more than 30 feet from a balcony and break his ankles.
The police footage showed the kidnappers trying to escape after their location was found out. The Spanish police were able to surround them as they tried to escape in their car, leading to their arrest. Authorities found £8,000, two guns, three knives, and 25g of pink cocaine after they searched the apartment where they held the victim.
Police investigation uncovers illegal activities
According to the Spanish police, the three British nationals, who remain unnamed, have been remanded in prison on the orders of the court. This is the first time the police are going public with the operation, codenamed Operation Espino, to resolve the kidnap of the crypto broker after his mum alerted them.
A spokesperson for the Málaga police confirmed the arrest of the criminals. “Three men have been arrested on suspicion of kidnap, wounding, membership of a criminal organization, unlawful weapons possession and drug trafficking. They are now in prison following a court appearance,” he said.
The spokesperson said that after they found the location and mobilized officers to the area, they saw so many nervous-looking men around the apartment. Moments after, the kidnapped victim jumped from the terrace to the ground, with his fall alerting the officers in the area who swung into action. The police mentioned that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the victim if he didn’t provide access to his crypto wallet.
Spanish police also mentioned that they planned the kidnapping after the trader told them what he was doing for a living. They assumed he was making enough money and would be able to part with the ransom to regain his freedom. In addition, the police mentioned that a member of the gang is already known in Spain, while they believe that the others have criminal records in Spain.
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This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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