British businessman kidnapped in Ecuador

Colin Armstrong, 78, was kidnapped on Saturday morning

A British businessman was kidnapped from his home in eastern Ecuador by gunmen, it was reported on Saturday by local media.

The man, identified locally as Colin Armstrong, was reportedly pulled from his home Saturday morning and taken into custody.

Police have not identified the victim of the attack. attack, but said officers were investigating an alleged crime against a businessman in Los Rios province.

The Foreign Office said it had contacted authorities after the Briton disappeared.

Local media reported that Armstrong, the honorary British consul in the city of Guayaquil, was taken from his home in the city of Baba along with a Colombian woman, believed to be his wife.

Bloody sheets 

Mr Armstrong, 78, is the founder and owner of farming company Agripac and owner of the Tapgill Park estate in North Yorkshire.

The estate is open to the public and has a garden built by Mr Armstrong. and Malcolm Tempest, an architect.

Video posted on social media, allegedly from the home where Mr. Armstrong was kidnapped, shows bloody sheets on a bed and ransacked rooms.

Up to 15 men were reported to have raided his home, with one report saying the kidnappers disguised themselves as police officers.

Kidnapping wealthy expats is an increasingly common crime in Ecuador and is often carried out by drug gangs who demand ransoms from Westerners.

A government press release from the British Embassy in Quito, Ecuador's capital, in 2013 shows Armstrong with his wife and others celebrating the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth II.

< p>He was awarded the OBE and CMG Medal for services to the British Monarchy in 2011.

Ecuador's Foreign Ministry travel advisory states that visitors should be wary of «express kidnappings» where victims are «taken to ATMs to withdraw as much cash as possible.” before they are released.»

«The murder rate in Guayaquil is very high, but most of it is gang-related,» it adds.

«You have to be especially careful in Guayaquil.» . city ​​center, southern parts of the city and port areas.»