Billionaire’s wife held by kidnappers

Norway: Woman missing for months

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 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, is number 172 on a list of the country’s 400 most wealthy people published in financial magazine Kapital.

His fortune in 2018 amounted 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 (£8m).

The newspaper reported the note said Ms Falkevik Hagen would be killed if police were involved.

Mr Broeske declined to comment other than saying “the threats 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.

Police have been “on the case for several weeks. That is all I’d say,” he added.

Mr Broeske said “those behind the kidnapping have chosen to communicate digitally and we have had no other type of contact”.

Police have urged the family not to pay any ransom.

Police believe she disappeared from the couple’s home, 31 miles from the Swedish border.