Two Brits arrested in Benidorm after sending fake 'kidnapping' video to relative demanding £725 ransom cash

The unnamed pair, aged 51 and 37, sent a bogus video to a relative appearing to show one of them threatening to kill his "blood-covered" friend with a knife.

Police in Costa Blanca have claimed the act was a desperate bid to make some "quick cash" following a tip-off from Interpol via police in the UK.

The local force police suspended all investigations and called for back-up from a specialist anti-hostage unit in Madrid, with preparations put in place to raid the hotel where they believed the Brits were staying

However, the operation was called off when the alleged victim was spotted exiting the building in a "relaxed" manner alongside his supposed captor.

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The pair demanded a ransom of just £725 before they were arrested for simulating a crime and fraud.

A spokesman for Spain's National Police in Alicante said: "Officers in Benidorm have arrested two British men aged 37 and 51 for simulating a kidnap with the aim of making some quick cash.

"Our investigation began after a tip-off from Interpol about the possible abduction of a British national in the resort.

"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.

"All police resources available in Benidorm were mobilised to prevent the victim suffering any harm given the apparent severity of the situation.

"A police unit with officers based in Madrid who specialised in dealing with kidnaps and extortion were also mobilised.

"They managed to establish direct phone contact with the relative of the man supposedly being held hostage who supplied a photo of the alleged kidnapper and information suggesting that if £725 wasn't paid into the abductor's bank account the other person would be killed.

"This happened as a large number of officers from Benidorm Police Station were called on to try to locate the 'kidnap location'.

"All the police investigations that were taking place in the resort were suspended while this happened, and the focus placed on making sure as many officers as possible were mobilised with the aim of resolving the situation as soon as possible so the threat made wasn't carried out and no-one was killed."

It added: "The place where the alleged abductor and his victim could be was finally identified as a hotel in Benidorm, where the man believed to be the kidnapper had checked in days earlier with another British man.

"A discreet watch was placed on the hotel and preparations were being made for a possible rescue when officers spotted two men coming out of the establishment whose descriptions matched those of the alleged kidnapper and his victim who were chatting in a relaxed and amicable way.

"Both men were intercepted and identified. It soon became apparent the kidnap had been staged with the aim of earning quick cash and both were arrested on suspicion of simulating a crime and for fraud.

"When they were being fingerprinted at a nearby police station, officers also discovered the supposed kidnapper had given a false name both when he checked into the hotel and when he identified himself to the police who arrested him.

"He was subsequently read his rights for another suspected crime of identity fraud."