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File photo of a Guardia Civil operation.
Belgian woman freed from kidnapper boyfriend in Mijas after call to her brother

Belgian woman freed from kidnapper boyfriend in Mijas after call to her brother

A distress call to her home country triggered an international operation which managed to locate the victim in a remote farmhouse

F. TORRES / J. CANO

Friday, 18 September 2020, 10:05

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A 28-year-old Belgian man, accused of kidnapping his girlfriend and holding her captive in a remote farmhouse in Mijas, was on Tuesday sent to prison without bail, pending trial.

He is under investigation for alleged offences of illegal detention and ill-treatment.

The apparent victim of these crimes was located by the Guardia Civil following a joint operation with Belgian police which was triggered last Wednesday when the woman took advantage of a brief moment of freedom to call her brother in her home country, appealing for help.

She told him that she was being held in a remote building against her will, according to sources close to the case.

The brother then called the police in Belgium who then made contact with their counterparts in Spain. As a result, the local Guardia Civil patrol in Mijas was mobilised.

While the woman didn't know the exact location of this farmhouse, she told her brother that she was inland from Las Lagunas, around five or six kilometres in a straight line from the coast.

The Guardia Civil acted quickly, having been informed that the suspect had been consuming "a lot" of drugs and could be suffering from some kind of mental pathology. Officers combed the area and eventually tracked the distress call to a farmhouse in an isolated area of Mijas.

When they knocked on the door, they presumed kidnapper opened the door. Inside, in a room, was the girl. When she was found, her body was covered in bruises. Her left eye was swollen, and she had cuts on her arms and face, according to sources consulted.

Although she was not handcuffed, it would appear that she was unable to leave because her boyfriend had threatened her with further violence.

The man was immediately taken into custody while the woman confirmed in a statement that she had been held in the property against her will.

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