British man, 58, kidnapped, tortured and held to ransom by 'Muslim gang'

A British man was freed by Ukrainian secret services after being kidnapped and tortured while seeking a potential 'bride' through a dating agency in Odessa, it was revealed today.

The man, aged 58, was abducted by a 'criminal gang', believed to be Muslim, after arranging to meet a young woman.

He has been named as Martin John, but he could be John Martin as Ukrainians often give the surname first.

He was held in a cellar for three days while his relatives were contacted in Britain and told he would be killed if they did not pay £3,700 to save his life.

'The scared family made several Western Union transfers of several thousand dollars before finally deciding to contact the Ukrainian embassy in the UK, which then passed the information about the victim to the police,' said Volodymyr Shabliyenko, spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

The address where he was held was stormed by police and secret service officers and the man released 'unharmed'.

The kidnappers - believed to include three Muslim men and a Ukrainian woman - were arrested.

The gang's leader was said to be 'a native of the United Arab Emirates who was in Ukraine illegally'.

'They tortured the man and threatened to kill him if his family failed to pay ransom,' stated a local report. It gave no details of his 'torture'.

'The group included four perpetrators, a Ukrainian woman, two Pakistanis and a native of North Caucasus,' said an SBU intelligence agency source.

The perpetrators tracked down well-off foreign tourists and operated according to a well-trodden scenario.

'Using dating and social-networking websites they lured a foreigner into a meeting where instead of the expected date he would get into the hands of his kidnappers.'

The Britisn man - a frequent visitor to Ukraine - 'fell into the trap.

'Having replied to a Ukrainian Bride invitation, the Englishman found himself taken hostage.

'His ordeal lasted for several days in a dark basement - he was told to call his relatives and tell them about the $6,000 ransom for his release.'

Shabliyenko said: 'The victim has an interest in architecture. He had visited Ukraine about 15 times as a tourist.

'He was particularly excited about the architecture of Odessa; this year alone he had visited the city twice to study local architectural monuments.

'The foreigner hired a flat, frequently strolled around the city and ended up in the sights of a criminal group led by a native of the United Arab Emirates who was staying in Ukraine illegally.'

The detainees face jail if convicted of illegal imprisonment and conspiracy to commit robbery.

'The only fact we know about his family is that his relatives live in London,' said an Interior Ministry source. We do not think there was any Islamic or political motive here. They were just criminals who wanted money,' said the source.

'We know Martin John visited Ukraine more than a dozen of times in the past.' 

Culled