Forbidden Corner owner Colin Armstrong ‘kidnapped in Ecuador’

North Yorkshire businessman and millionaire, Colin Armstrong, has been kidnapped from his home in Ecuador, local media reports have said.

Various Ecuadorian news outlets said the 78-year-old was reportedly taken from his ranch in the Los Ríos territory in the early hours of Saturday, December 16.

A Columbian woman, who is believed to be his partner, was also allegedly taken by the group of kidnappers.

The Ecuadorian police took to social media to say specialised units of the force were carrying out “operational and research tasks” in relation to the case, following an “alleged criminal act against a businessman”.

They did not name Mr Armstrong in the statement.

A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign and Development Office, which also did not name Mr Armstrong, said in a statement:

“We are in contact with the Ecuadorean authorities following the disappearance of a British man and are supporting his family.”

Ecuadorian news outlet, Expreso, said the chief of the Los Ríos Police, Colonel William Calle, indicated the anti-kidnapping and extortion units were “working on the release” of the man involved.

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A video of what is claimed to be the businessman’s South American home circulated on social media following the incident. The footage, which has been shared by Ecuadorian news outlets, shows blood-stained bed sheets and a broken doorframe.

Mr Armstrong, who was formerly the UK’s honorary consul in Guayaquil, owns the popular Leyburn tourist attraction, The Forbidden Corner, as well as the 500-acre Tupgill Park Estate.

It employs 50 people and receives around 150,000 visitors every year.

He is also the founder of Agripac, an Ecuadorian agricultural supplies company, which he founded in 1972.

Mr Armstrong was awarded an OBE and CMG by the Queen in 2011 for services to the British Monarchy.