19 December 2023 , 21:29
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The girlfriend of British millionaire Colin Armstrong, 78, who has been kidnapped in Ecuador, has been questioned by detectives.
The UK intelligence services are said to be assisting in the hunt for Mr Armstrong, who was abducted by more than 15 armed gangsters. He was taken from his ranch early on Saturday along with his partner, Katherine Paola Santos. She is believed to have been rescued in a secret -operation and quizzed after her release. Video footage of Mr Armstrong has emerged which appears to show him partying with Ms Santos and her friends on a boat. He is seen accompanying her on several occasions, including for her 30th birthday party, while in fancy dress as a pilot.
Cesar Zapata, who was appointed as general commander of the National Police force earlier this year by former President -Guillermo Lasso, has reportedly taken personal charge of the probe along with a specialist anti-kidnap and extortion unit called UNASE. Immediately after the kidnapping, the force said: “Following an apparent criminal act against a businessman in the early hours of this morning in Los Rios, specialist police units are carrying out -operative and investigative work on the ground.” No update has been given since.
Colin Armstrong at his theme park, Tupgill Park in Yorkshire Dales (GERARD COUZENS)Ecuadorian lawyer and former MP Ricardo Vanegas has said in a tweet: “It’s become known -Katherine Paola Santos was born in the Colombian city of -Barranquilla and began having surgery to look more feminine
and her birth name is Alberto Santos. It appears she is now being investigated by prosecutors and police in Ecuador over the kidnap.”
He could not be reached to elaborate on his claims. His son, also called Ricardo, told reporters he was busy teaching at a local university. He said: “You’ll have to speak to my father, but here in Ecuador, the initial stages of an investigation are always conducted in secret. It may be he has received leaked information from sources.” Mr Armstrong was the former UK honorary consul in the city of Guayaquil until his son Nick took over in 2016. As well as founding and owning a large agricultural supply company in the South American country, he is a director along with his son of the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate near Leyburn in North Yorkshire, which has been the family home for more than 45 years.
Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
Colin Armstrong has been abducted by 15 armed men, it has been reported (Agripac/AFP via Getty Images)
Colin Armstrong, 78, and Katherine Paola Santos in Jamaica (Instagram)The kidnap took place around 2.45am on Saturday at his ranch, called Rancho Rodeo Grande, near the town of Baba in Los Rios -province, a two-hour drive north of Guayaquil. Mr Colin, as he was known affectionately by staff at the ranch, is understood to have been forcibly bundled into a black BMW he owned, which was found -abandoned near the scene. No official comment has been given about video footage that has emerged on social media purporting to show Ms Santos having an -explosives vest removed by police experts on Saturday afternoon at a property on a private gated estate in Samborondon near Guayaquil, which is said to belong to a relative of Mr Armstrong.
The town is the same locality where ex-MP Mr Vanegas’s office is based. It is understood Mr Armstrong’s son has flown to Ecuador to help police locate his father. Mr Armstrong’s daughter Diana Armstrong-Bruns, an estate agent based in California, said: “This is a critical time. We’ve been told not to say anything to anyone. We just want my father back.” No ransom demand has yet been made.
The millionaire, thought to have previously been married to an Ecuadorian woman, has long been associated with the South American country. He founded Agripac in 1972. He and Ms Santos were pictured enjoying a jet-set lifestyle together before their kidnapping. The images, posted as a montage by a local news organisation on TikTok, showed them on board a cruise ship and beneath the -Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California. There are also images of the smiling couple riding on horseback and posing in front of the -pyramids in Egypt.
Brit millionaire Colin Armstrong with his glamorous girlfriend (instagram)The businessman’s adopted son Leo Morris, 47, helps run a -restaurant at the family’s Yorkshire estate. The estate welcomes more than 150,000 visitors a year to an attraction known as the Forgotten Corner, which was initially built as a private folly. A spokesman for the Tupgill Park Estate said yesterday that “everything is being done” to ensure his safe release. And added: “Tupgill Park Estate wishes to express their sincere devastation at the situation and that all of our thoughts and prayers are with the Armstrong family.” Mr Armstrong was awarded an OBE and CMG by the Queen in 2011. Footage that is claimed to show the aftermath of the kidnap was posted online shortly after it happened.
A woman thought to be a member of staff took close-up shots of broken plates on the floor and a man who appeared to be holding a bandage to his head. She then walked into one of the bedrooms where there was blood over the bed and said as she focused in on the stained sheets: “This is where they hit him. My God, what is this!” The woman appeared to be referring to the man she had filmed sitting on the stairs nursing what looked to be a head wound. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed: “We are in contact with -Ecuadorian authorities following the disappearance of a British man and are supporting his family.”
Yesterday, local media questioned why police had failed to provide any updates after only speaking out on Monday to rule out Mr Armstrong’s death amid rumours he had been killed. National newspaper Expreso quoted a member of the Police Communication Department of Zone 8 saying: “The units continue -investigating, I reiterate when there are results, we will announce them on our official networks.”
The newspaper provided more detail about the abduction, saying the businessman was taken in “a high-end black vehicle with -diplomatic licence plate”. The police reportedly managed to activate the car’s satellite tracking device, which resulted in it being found. According to local reports, the men who took Mr Armstrong were “hooded individuals dressed in clothing similar to that of the National Police”.
Neighbour Luis Carpio said the farm was fitted with a powerful alarm that, when triggered, could be heard from afar. However, he said the alarm had not been activated. Of the kidnappers, Mr Carpio said: “I hope God touches the hearts of those people so that they release him soon and we have him back.”
Mr Armstrong’s extended family admit they are “in the dark” as to why he was abducted. Adopted son Leo was yesterday running the family business in the Dales as his relatives continued to attempt to secure his release. His uncle said: “Leo is busy at the estate. We only know what has been reported. No more than that.”