Alex Trelinski
THE Guardia Civil is probing the kidnapping of a Russian couple by bogus police officers in the San Juan beach area of Alicante on Sunday.
It’s believed the motive was to get hold of access codes to a cryptocurrency wallet.
The kidnapped man- a computer expert specialising in cryptocurrency management- was able to contact his lawyer, who in turned called the police.
El Campello Policia Local located the car where the man’s partner was held and discovered she had been handcuffed.
A Spaniard and a Russian woman, who acted as an interpreter, were both arrested.
A third person, who fled on foot, was subsequently detained.
The Guardia Civil are looking for a fourth man involved in the kidnapping.
Authorities are not ruling out a theory that the abduction may have been to a ‘settling of scores’ between two groups.
The Russian couple were approached by two Spaniards at their San Juan home garage shortly after 6.00 pm on Sunday.
The visitors said they were police officers and flashed badges to confirm their status.
The couple were told to hand over their phones before they were bundled into a car.
They were joined by a Russian female interpreter who threatened serious violent consequences if the computer expert did not hand over his cryptocurrency access codes.
The man said the codes were at a friend’s home in the Central Park area of El Campello.
They drove there and the kidnappers let him enter the building on his own while keeping his partner hostage.
It was at that time that he phoned his lawyer, with the kidnappers speeding off when they realised he had tricked them.
No details have emerged as to what amount of cryptocurrency the kidnappers wanted to steal.
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