Seven arrested for brutal murder of businessman in La Rioja

SEVEN people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of a businessman in the town of Alfaro (La Rioja)

The victim’s body was found semi-submerged in an irrigation pond, with a weight tied to his waist a year.

Three of those arrested in Operation Yuko are accused of the murder, with the others indirectly involved.

Those arrested are four men and three women, aged between 20 and 61, living in the towns of Calahorra and Autol in La Rioja.
On September 6, 2018, the body of a middle-aged man who had died violently after being tied up, gagged and beaten was found.
The identification of the victim, whose disappearance had been reported by his wife the day before, opened multiple avenues of investigation, because some of his friends were known to be dangerous criminals in the Rioja region.

Investigators believe that the crime was planned, organised and executed by a ‘trusted’ employee of the dead man.

They allege that the 41-year-old man and two members of his family had gone to a chicken farm in Alfaro where they knew the businessman would be alone with a significant amount of cash.
Once there, they tied and gagged the victim and forced him into the trunk of his own vehicle, police allege.

They went to the irrigation pond, killed the victim with a knife and tried to sink the body, police say.

Once the man was reported missing the three took part in a Guardia Civil-led search for the man.
After the body was found, police say the trio stopped having contact with each other and became vigilant and on the look out for police. One of the accused changed residence twice and avoided being seen in public.

During the operation, investigators searched two houses in Calahorra and Autol, and arrested the seven people who have been placed at the disposal of the judicial authority.