Ransom demand for billionaire’s wife
WORLD: The wife of one of Norway’s richest men has been missing for months and her kidnappers have demanded a ransom, police have revealed.
Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen, 68, has been missing since October 31. Her husband Tom Hagen has a fortune amounting to nearly 1.7 billion kroner (£1.57bn).
THE WIFE of one of Norway’s richest men has been missing for months and her kidnappers have demanded a ransom, police have revealed.
Chief investigator Tommy Broeske said that 68-year-old Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen has been missing since October 31.
Her husband Tom Hagen, a property investor and owner of power facilities, has a fortune amounting to nearly 1.7 billion kroner (£1.57bn), according to Norwegian news agency NTB.
Police said a note found in the couple’s house, east of Oslo, described what would happen to her if the ransom was not paid in the crypto-currency Monero.
Police did not give a figure for the ransom amount, but Norway’s VG newspaper reported it was 9 million euros (£8m).
The newspaper reported that the note said Ms Falkevik Hagen would be killed if police were involved.
Mr Broeske declined to comment other than saying “the threats (in the note) were of a very serious character”.
“The reason for us to go public with this case now is that despite a broad and extensive investigation, we need more information,” he told a news conference.
“We have no suspects in this case,” he said.
“Those behind it have chosen to communicate digitally and we have had no other type of contact”. Police believe she disappeared from the couple’s home, 31 miles from the Swedish border.