Alex Trelinski
A 27-year-old Villajoyosa man suffered a kidnapping and hostage ordeal for 11 days as his captors demanded €350,000 ransom from his family in Algeria
He was walking to the home of a friend in Villajoyosa on May 27 when he was approached by three hooded men who bundled him into a car by gunpoint.
He was clubbed by a hammer as the vehicle left the area at great speed and was taken down the coast to Santa Pola where he was locked up for two days and had his hands and legs immobilised by zip ties.
The gang was concerned that police could locate them and transferred him to a finca in a remote area of Yecla in the Murcia region.
Two days after the kidnapping, a relative of the victim reported his disappearance to the Guardia Civil in Villajoyosa and that the kidnappers had phone another family member in Algeria demanding €350,000 for the man’s release
He was physically assaulted at Yecla on several occasions including being tasered and he was barely given any food during his ordeal.
Assaults were recorded on a phone to coax his family into paying the substantial ransom.
Despite the graphic footage, the victim’s relatives refused to submit to the demands and the Guardia located and freed him on June 7.
Five men aged between 19 and 28- all of Spanish nationality- have been arrested in Cartagena, Villajoyosa and Yecla, and were charged with kidnapping and extortion.
They all have a history of committing violent robberies and were all jailed after court appearances.
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