Two British men arrested in Benidorm after ‘staging fake kidnapping’ to extort £725

Two British men have been arrested in Spain for allegedly staging a bizarre fake kidnapping to extort £725 worth of cash from a relative, police have said.

The 51-year-old and 37-year-old man are said to have sent a family member a video that appears to show the alleged kidnapping victim covered in blood and being threatened with a knife.

They demanded that the ransom be transferred into the abductor’s bank account or the alleged victim would be killed, according to police. The recipient of the video alerted British authorities to the supposed threat.

An investigation began after police received a tip-off from Interpol that a British citizen had been kidnapped in Benidorm, a popular tourist city.

Specialist units were called in from Madrid to help, but when officers arrived at the hotel where the supposed crime was taking place, they saw the two men strolling out of the building in a “relaxed and amicable way”, Diario de Alicante reported.

The men were arrested on suspicion of simulating a crime and for fraud. While they were being fingerprinted, officers discovered that the alleged kidnapper had provided a false name when he checked into the hotel and when arrested by police.

He was subsequently charged with identity theft, according to Olive Press.

“Our investigation began after a tip-off from Interpol about the possible abduction of a British national in the resort,” a spokesperson for Alicante police told the Daily Mail.

“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.”

After identifying the location of the hotel, police prepared for a rescue operation - and discovered the pair had checked in days earlier.

The Independent has contacted Spain’s national police for an update.