Holy Wednesday, at 1:00 PM. The manager of a chain of gaming halls receives a call. It’s a member of the security team from one of his establishments in Malaga, who tells him that he himself is holding the local manager captive at the Vialia shopping center —at the AVE station— and demands 50,000 euros for his rescue. Despite the tension of the moment, while negotiating with the kidnapper, the recipient alerts the National Police. They then ask him to prolong the conversations and, 90 minutes later, a group of agents arrives at the location where they were, arresting the security guard and his accomplice. After being brought before a judge, both have been released on provisional liberty with restraining orders against the victim.
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The kidnapping occurred in the context of an alleged debt. It all started with a computer error in the gaming hall, which caused the establishment to pay double for the prizes its customers won. When the security guard saw what was happening, he alerted a group of friends to take advantage of the opportunity, according to investigation sources. Several responded to his call, obtaining various rewards. The casino, however, upon realizing the technological flaw, blocked the payments because it considered them fraudulent. The conflict then began.
“The security guard positioned himself as a mediator between the prize winners and the manager. He pretended to want to manage the problem, but in reality, he was in cahoots with his acquaintances,” explain the same sources. During those days, he tracked his boss and obtained information about his family or home. He also began sending him messages and audio recordings that escalated in tone and threats. “These actions generated a significant sense of intimidation, as the victim realized that the perpetrators knew his movements, his vehicle, and even his home,” add the National Police in a statement.
Finally, the employee met with the manager and held him captive in the shopping center with the support of an accomplice. They threatened him, showed him proof that they knew where he lived or knew his close relatives, “and told him he wouldn’t leave there unless 50,000 euros were paid for his rescue,” state the National Police. It was the money that the prize winners allegedly claimed to have obtained.
To secure the payment, they contacted a franchise manager, based in Madrid. He, accustomed to having contact with agents from the National Police’s Gaming Brigade, alerted them as soon as he learned of the kidnapping. With police support, he then maintained a negotiation about the payment details, prolonging it as much as possible. Meanwhile, the Madrid Kidnapping Group contacted their counterparts in Malaga (Group I of Organized Crime of Udyco in Malaga), who went to the shopping center where the two kidnappers were with the victim and, after 2:30 PM on Holy Wednesday, arrested them. Both are accused of kidnapping and, after being brought before a judge, were released with restraining orders against the person they held captive.
