British millionaire who was ‘kidnapped by a cartel because he refused to pay a protection fee’ is rescued in Ecuador after his girlfriend was ‘rescued by the bomb squad that removed the explosive vest kidnappers forced her to wear’

A British millionaire and former diplomat has been rescued after being kidnapped in Ecuador.

Colin Armstrong, 78, was snatched from his villa by 15 armed men along with his girlfriend Katherine Paola Santos on Saturday morning and was last seen bundled into the back of a car.

A report claims Mr Armstrong was targeted by a cartel after refusing to pay protection money.

During his ordeal, footage of Miss Santos emerged showing police removing a bomb disposal vest ‘filled with explosives’ that her captors allegedly forced her to wear. She reportedly said the vest would explode if a ransom was not paid.

But officers suspect she was part of the scam and police questioned Miss Santos about her kidnapping and how she was released.

On Wednesday, Ecuador’s police chief, Cesar Augusto Zapata Correa, tweeted that Armstrong had been found on a road near Manabi, not far from Los Rios, where he was snatched.

Police released a photo showing him wearing a baseball cap, slightly out of focus as per local law, flanked by two police officers. He seemed fit and well.

Mr Correa wrote: “Our units have released citizen Colin A., who was kidnapped a few days ago in Los Rios. Right now he is safe and sound.”

It has since been claimed that a feared criminal gang linked to a violent Mexican cartel that forces new recruits to eat raw human hearts has been linked to Mr Armstrong’s kidnapping.

The brash Los Tiguerones, whose members identify themselves with tattoos of tigers wearing berets, had been identified as prime suspects the night before police announced Armstrong had been released.

Officials are said to have targeted the group for allegedly kidnapping the 78-year-old president of agricultural distribution company Agripac after he refused to pay them a monthly protection fee.

A well-placed source quoted in the Daily Telegraph said: ‘This is the most likely reason for the kidnapping at this stage.’

Police have confirmed that nine suspects have been arrested so far, although they have not officially said whether they belong to Los Tiguerones.

The shadowy gang was a small support unit of Los Choneros, one of the South American country’s oldest organized crime groups, when it was first reported in 2019.

Four years later, the organization, which had just 900 members in its infancy, has grown from its birthplace in the northern port city of Ecuador to a leading player on the national stage and in neighboring Peru.

Meanwhile, family friend Leo Morris said in a statement to MailOnline: ‘We can confirm that Mr Colin Armstrong has been successfully released and is currently with police for interviews and will then return to his family in Ecuador.

‘The whole British family, staff and friends are delighted with the outcome and look forward to a happier Christmas.

“We have no further news at this time.”

Mr Armstrong’s son Nick Armstrong, who helps run the family estate in North Yorkshire, had flown to Ecuador to help with the hunt.

The father and son are directors of the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate near Leyburn in North Yorkshire, which has been the family home for more than 45 years.

Mr Armstrong’s daughter, Diana Armstrong-Bruns, a real estate agent based in California, had told MailOnline earlier this week after his abduction: ‘This is a critical time, we have been told not to say anything to anyone. We just want my dad back.”

The wealthy businessman was snatched from his ranch called Rancho Rodeo Grande by 15 masked men, reportedly disguised as police officers, before being driven away in their black BMW, which was later found abandoned by the roadside.

His glamorous girlfriend was kidnapped along with Armstrong on Saturday. But 24 hours later she was reportedly seen at his son Nick’s home, in a taxi wearing a bomb vest.

Police were alerted and video footage has since emerged showing Ms Santos having the explosive vest removed by a bomb disposal expert at a property on the private gated estate in Samborondon, near Guayaquil.

Ms Santos was questioned by detectives yesterday about her kidnapping, apparent release and whether she had been forced to wear the bomb vest by Mr Armstrong’s captors to demand a ransom from his family.

Meanwhile, chilling images online showed the kidnappers leaving a blood-stained trail after ransacking Mr Armstrong’s remote farm in Los Rios province.

Mr Armstrong headed the British consulate in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil and was honored by the late Queen for his services to his country.

A video reportedly taken at the property known as Rancho Rodeo Grande shows the aftermath of the attack.

A woman filming inside the ranch took close-up photos of broken dishes on the floor and a man holding his head.

She then walked into one of the bedrooms where there was blood on the sheets and floor.

As she focused on the stained sheets, she allegedly said, “This is where they hit him.” My God, what is this!’

The honorary consul’s car, a black BMW in which the kidnap victims were said to have driven away, was reportedly found abandoned on the road between Baba town and the nearby town of Saliter.

Local police initially managed to track the BMW via satellite, which showed it was being driven south towards the city of Ecuador, but they lost track of it.

Local reports say British intelligence was involved in the hunt for Colin.

The Foreign Office previously said: ‘We are in contact with Ecuadorian authorities following the disappearance of a British man and are supporting his family.’

Mr Armstrong owns the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate in North Yorkshire, which was his childhood home.

The estate now welcomes more than 150,000 visitors a year to an attraction known as the Forgotten Corner, which was originally built as a private folly.

Mr Armstrong – who is believed to have previously been married to an Ecuadorian woman – has had a long relationship with the South American country where he owns Agripac, a major agricultural supply company he founded in 1972.

He works there with son Nick, who took over the role of honorary consul in the city of Guayaquil from his father in 2016 and is also director of the company that operates the Ripon Racecourse in North Yorkshire.

His adopted son Leo Morris helps run a restaurant on the family’s Yorkshire estate.

In recent years, Ecuador – located between world-leading cocaine producers Colombia and Peru – has become a hub for foreign and domestic drug cartels blamed for a series of massacres, kidnappings and extortions.

Gangs now control prisons and street violence has increased. Since 2018, the national murder rate has more than quadrupled, from six to 26 per 100,000 residents.

As a major port city, Guayaquil has become a center for the cartels that export drugs to the United States and Europe.

President Daniel Noboa, a native of Guayaquil who took office in late November, has vowed to crack down on drug traffickers.

His election followed a campaign season marred by violence in which eight politicians, including a mayor, were killed.