Two arrested over brutal Torrox kidnapping which left man with facial disfigurement

The investigation was carried out by officers from the Guardia Civil's main Torrox-Algarrobo station. The two suspects were arrested by officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police force, in Barcelona on 30 May, while efforts to trace the third alleged attacker remain ongoing.

The alleged assault dates back to May, when Guardia Civil officers were called to a BP petrol station near the motorway exit in Torrox after reports of a seriously injured man. When they arrived, they found the Yemeni national with his face severely disfigured by the injuries he had sustained.

Because of the seriousness of his condition, emergency medical assistance was requested. He was taken by ambulance to the Axarquía District Hospital in Vélez-Málaga before being transferred to Malaga Regional University Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment.

According to the victim's account, three men approached him in the coastal area of Torrox, forced him into a vehicle and drove him to a remote rural area known as Pago de la Dehesa. The Guardia Civil has not disclosed the exact location where the alleged abduction took place.

Investigators say the men allegedly held him against his will, threatened to kill him with a firearm and subjected him to a brutal assault before stealing a substantial amount of cash. They then abandoned him in an isolated area, from where he managed to reach the nearest petrol station on foot to seek help.

During the investigation, officers identified the vehicle allegedly used in the attack, enabling them to identify the three suspects. The victim later identified them as the men responsible for the alleged offences.

Police alerts were issued to locate and arrest the suspects, leading to the arrest of two of them in Barcelona.

The pair appeared before a judge on suspicion of unlawful detention, making death threats with a firearm, violent robbery and causing grievous bodily harm. The Guardia Civil has not disclosed what precautionary measures, if any, were imposed by the court, nor whether the victim and the suspects were previously known to one another.

The search for the third suspect remains active. Police have not released details of the individual's identity, nationality or possible whereabouts, and have also not disclosed the exact amount of cash allegedly stolen. The investigation remains ongoing while judicial proceedings continue.

The case is not the first violent kidnapping investigated in Torrox in recent years. In April 2023, a North African man was held captive for 11 days at a property in the municipality, where he was tortured and part of one ear was cut off in an attempt to force his family to pay a ransom of 1.4 million euros.

He was later released with multiple injuries in an isolated area of Mijas. Two French nationals, aged 39 and 43, were arrested by the National Police in connection with the case, which investigators linked to a drug trafficking debt.