A 30-year-old woman in Spain repeatedly faked being kidnapped by staging violent videos attempting to depict a kidnapping to extort thousands of dollars from her mother, Spanish police say.
Five people, including the woman, have been arrested after police discovered the plot, the London Times reports. In the videos, she is filmed with a knife to her neck as she cries, “Mommy. They’ve kidnapped me.” The woman has fake blood on her face and pleads with her mother to pay the amount — which equated to 50,000 U.S. dollars — the allegedly fake kidnappers demand. (RELATED: REPORT: Elderly Woman Dies After Being Served Dishwashing Liquid At Senior Living Facility)
She also told her mother in the staged video that her kidnappers would kill her if she called the police.
“You can’t say anything to the police. If you do they’ll kill me,” she said.
The mother has previously paid a total of $45,000 in three different payments to kidnappers who made fake threats on her daughters life, the New York post reports.
Detenida en Tenerife tras simular su secuestro y exigirle a su madre 50.000 euros para su liberación.
La víctima recibió un vídeo en el que su hija aparecía amordazada y con sangre falsa, en el que pedía llorando que pagaran la cantidad exigida por sus supuestos secuestradores. pic.twitter.com/Bg3reqHest
— Guardia Civil 🇪🇸 (@guardiacivil) September 5, 2022
Police investigations revealed that the woman’s partner’s family was allegedly also involved. Three of the five arrested have since been released on parole, Tenerife Weekly reports. Those arrested could face charges of extortion, which can result in a prison sentence of anywhere from 1 to 5 years, the London Times reports.