British millionaire Colin Armstrong kidnapped from home in his own BMW

Agripac founder Colin Armstrong and his partner were kidnapped in Ecuador (Image credit: Ricardo_Vanegas/X)

British millionaire Colin Armstrong was kidnapped from his Ecuador home on Saturday along with his partner, who has since reappeared. The hunt is on to locate and rescue Armstrong, who was abducted and driven away in his own car, according to The Guardian.

Armstrong, 78, was kidnapped by a gang of 15 men disguised as cops who forcibly entered his home in Ecuador’s Los Rios province on Saturday. The attackers bundled the British businessman into his own BMW along with his Colombian-born partner Katherine Paola Santos.

According to The Sun, Santos has since reappeared and is being probed in the disappearance of the British businessman. In widely circulated footage, she was apparently seen wearing an explosive vest that the bomb disposal squad removed carefully. Police has refused to comment on the authenticity of the clip.

Armstrong was Britain's former honorary consul in the city of Guayaquil. He founded a large agricultural company in Ecuador called Agripac. Besides his ranch in Ecuador, he also owns a 500-acre estate in North Yorkshire, which was his childhood home.

INFORMAMOS ||

Ante presunto hecho delictivo en contra de un empresario ocurrido esta madrugada en #LosRíos; unidades especializadas de @PoliciaEcuador ejecutan labores operativas y de investigación en territorio.

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Noticia en desarrollo… pic.twitter.com/PVbnSJ1QmQ

— Policía Ecuador (@PoliciaEcuador) December 16, 2023

In a tweet, Ecuador Police said cops are carrying out “operational and investigative work” in connection with the “alleged criminal act against a businessman that occurred” in Los Rios province.

The British intelligence is also involved in looking into Armstrong’s disappearance, local reports suggest.

The kidnapping is believed to have occurred around 2.45 am on Saturday. The BMW in which the couple was driven away was later found abandoned by the roadside.

There has been no word from the kidnappers yet, and no ransom demands are believed to have been made.