An Elderly Man's Nightmare in Alicante: Held Hostage by a Couple Who Defrauded Him of €85,000

They allegedly executed a planned scam against an elderly man in Alicante who had no family support. They gained his trust to move into his home and carry out their plans. They made him change his will and transferred money to third parties in Colombia, hiding the destination of the funds. The National Police ended the victim's nightmare, who managed to escape confinement and alert a neighbour.

The agents have arrested the couple, a man and a woman aged 43 and 53, who pretended to care for him to move into his house but ended up controlling his life, isolating him from the outside world, emotionally manipulating him, and emptying his bank accounts with hidden transfers abroad, according to the investigation.

The nightmare began in May 2024, when the victim met a woman in the hospital who offered to care for him after discovering he had no family or close friends. Within days, she and her husband moved into his home under the pretext of helping him and preventing his admission to a care home.

For weeks, they appeared kind and attentive, taking him for walks and gaining his trust, but soon began asking questions about his bank accounts, personal codes, potential heirs, and assets, according to the same sources.

As the months passed, their behaviour changed. The couple convinced the victim to travel with them to Colombia under the promise of acquiring a property in his name. Various documents were processed there, but no property was ever shown. During the trip, his situation worsened, he suffered humiliations, was treated poorly, and his well-being deteriorated.

Back in Spain, his isolation intensified. They took away the keys to his own house to prevent him from leaving. They blocked his visits to the bank and kept him under surveillance. Taking advantage of the couple's sleep, the elderly man managed to escape to seek help from a neighbour, who immediately contacted the SALA Cimacc 091. A National Police Citizen Security patrol arrived at the scene and found the victim in a clear state of nervousness and anxiety.

After collecting his testimony and verifying the situation, the agents immediately located and arrested the alleged perpetrators near the residence.

The subsequent investigation, carried out by the Alicante Provincial Judicial Police Brigade, revealed the extent of the deception. They made him change his will in favour of the couple and transferred €85,233.42 to bank accounts in Colombia, all in the names of third parties to make tracking difficult.

Additionally, with part of the money, they bought two motorcycles, registered in the woman's name. Neither of the detainees had a driving licence for these vehicles, so they were regularly used by the alleged scammer's son.

At the time of the police intervention, the victim only had €270 in his bank accounts, leaving him completely without resources to survive. The detainees are accused of fraud and illegal detention, being brought before the Alicante Guard Court of Instruction.

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