Who is Colin Armstrong? British millionaire rescued after being kidnapped in Ecuador, girlfriend Katherine Paola Santos questioned by police

Well-known millionaire Colin Armstrong has been found safe by the authorities after being kidnapped on December 16, 2023. According to The Telegraph, Armstrong is mainly known as the man who established Agripac, an agricultural company, and owns the Tupgill Park Estate.

Times Now revealed that Colin was kidnapped along with his girlfriend Katherine Paola Santos by a group of men in the disguise of police officers from his house at Guayaquil. The kidnappers used a black BMW, which was later found in an abandoned condition.

According to The Sun, Colin Armstrong's girlfriend Katherine is being questioned by the authorities since she allegedly reappeared inside the residence of Colin's son Nick 24 hours after being kidnapped. She had a bomb vest on top of her at the time, and the bomb disposal team, along with police officers, immediately arrived at the spot.

While the bomb disposal team managed to remove the vest, Katherine reportedly left the spot. Before Colin's kidnapping, Katherine posted a few pictures through Instagram where she was posing along with her boyfriend.

Cesar Augusto Zapata, who serves as the police chief of Ecuador, confirmed Armstrong's rescue by sharing a post on X (formerly Twitter), which reads:

"On the road to Manabi, our units released citizen Colin A., kidnapped days prior to Los Rios. At the moment he is safe and healthy."

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Colin Armstrong is mainly known as the founder of a company called Agripac

The Independent reported that Colin Armstrong has gained recognition over the years as the founder of the agricultural company Agripac, which was formed in 1972. He also owns the Tupgill Park Estate at Coverdale, and his son Nick is the estate director.

According to The Sun, the Tupgill Park Estate is visited by around 150,000 people every year. It also has a complex called Forbidden Corner, which includes tunnels, chambers, and more. In 2011, Colin received an OBE and CMG and has been an honorary consultant supporting the British interests at Guayaquil.

Colin Armstrong has an adopted son named Leo Morris, who operates a restaurant inside his family's Yorkshire restaurant. He is also a father of two daughters, reportedly pursuing a career as an estate agent.

As mentioned earlier, he has been romantically linked to Katherine Paola Santos for a long time, Times Now revealed that she is from Colombia and was frequently posting a lot of pictures with Colin before the duo were kidnapped.

The Sun reported that Katherine and Colin have traveled to various places in the last few months, including Los Angeles, alongside safari holidays and cruise trips.

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Ecuador police have arrested a few suspects

Colin Armstrong's kidnapping increased concern among the public alongside his family members. However, the Ecuador police have safely rescued him, and around nine people are in police custody on suspicion of kidnapping and extortion, as per The Telegraph.

A statement shared by the prosecutors revealed that the suspects had a lot of things in their possession, including police clothes, weapons, drugs, and details related to an individual's kidnapping.

"The raids were carried out on Dec 16 and 17, in the Cooperativa Pancho Janome and Beata Narcisa de Jesus sectors, north of Guayaquil; and the Daule canton. At the latter location, seven people were arrested after being caught red-handed."

The motive behind the kidnapping remains unknown, but The Telegraph hinted that it might be associated with a Mexican cartel that forces its members to consume raw human hearts.