Kidnapped British businessman rescued by police in Ecuador

Colin Armstrong (center) was found on the side of a road in Los Rios province, not far from where he was captured

A A British businessman kidnapped from his ranch in South America by an armed gang has been rescued by police.

Colin Armstrong, 78, was reportedly snatched from his home in Ecuador by a gang of 15 gangsters disguised as police officers. officers early Saturday morning.

Police found the Yorkshire landowner on Wednesday on the side of a road in Los Rios province, not far from where he was captured.

They found they made nine arrests and reportedly questioned Katherine Paola Santos, a Colombian partner Armstrong, who was abducted with him.

The video shows a bomb disposal expert removing Ms. Santos' explosive vest. She has not been arrested.

Cesar Augusto Zapata Correa, Ecuador's police chief, confirmed his release and posted a photo of a smiling Armstrong with two officers on either side of him.

“He is currently alive and well,” he wrote on social media. .

A 78-year-old man was reportedly dragged from his home in Ecuador by a squad of 15 gangsters.

Monica Palencia, the interior minister, praised the police investigation, adding: “We will not allow impunity.”

An Ecuadorian security source told The Telegraph that British intelligence services were assisting in the investigation.

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The violent Los Tiguerones gang is suspected of kidnapping Armstrong and Santos after he refused to pay a monthly protection fee.

An organized crime group associated with Mexican cartels is involved in drug trafficking. -human trafficking and large-scale extortion.

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

Partner Mr Armstrong was questioned by police

Video posted on social media purportedly showing the house from which Mr Armstrong was abducted showed bloody sheets on the bed and rooms ransacked.

Local media reported that the kidnappers sped off in Mr Armstrong's black BMW and then abandoned him.

Mr Armstrong, who was awarded an OBE in 2011, runs agricultural company Agripac and owns a 500-litre vehicle. acre Tapgill Park Estate in North Yorkshire.

He was the former British honorary consul in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil until his son Nick Armstrong took over in 2016.

The younger Armstrong believed to have flown to Ecuador to help police find his father.

The Foreign Office previously said it had been in contact with authorities following the Briton's disappearance.