Police at a popular tourist resort have arrested two British tourists accused of staging a bizarre fake kidnapping in a bid to hustle some extra holiday cash.

The pair allegedly forced police in Benidorm, Costa Blanca, to suspend all their other investigations and call in back-up from a specialist anti-hostage unit after sending a relative a bogus video purportedly showing one of the suspects threatening his “blood-covered” pal with a knife.

Cops in the UK tipped off Spanish colleagues through Interpol and officers were preparing for an assault on the hotel they narrowed down as the “kidnap” location, before calling the operation off when they saw the alleged victim strolling out of the establishment with his supposed captor.

After arresting the pair for simulating a crime and fraud, investigators revealed today they had oddly demanded a ransom payment of just £725.

Well-placed insiders said this evening they could now face a huge compensation demand for virtually paralysing police activity in the holiday getaway as well as potential prison time. 👮‍♂️

A spokesman for Spain’s National Police in Alicante, confirming the scale of the operation launched after the phoney kidnapping to extort money, said the investigation involved a “large number of officers”.

They said: “Officers in Benidorm have arrested two British men aged 37 and 51 for simulating a kidnap with the aim of making some quick cash. Our investigation began after a tip-off from Interpol about the possible abduction of a British national in the resort.

“A relative of the man who had apparently been kidnapped, who initially alerted authorities in the UK, said he had received videos in which the supposed victim was covered in blood and the alleged kidnapper was threatening him with a knife. Officers contacted British consular officials so they could provide the images they’d received from the tipster .

“The British authorities also provided recordings of conversations in which the ‘kidnapper’ made ransom demands saying the man he had hostage would be killed if the money wasn’t paid.”

They added: “All police resources available in Benidorm were mobilised to prevent the victim suffering any harm given the apparent severity of the situation. A police unit with officers based in Madrid who specialised in dealing with kidnaps and extortion were also mobilised.

“They managed to establish direct phone contact with the relative of the man supposedly being held hostage who supplied a photo of the alleged kidnapper and information suggesting that if €830 (£725) wasn’t paid into the abductor’s bank account the other person would be killed.

“This happened as a large number of officers from Benidorm Police Station were called on to try to locate the ‘kidnap location’. All the police investigations that were taking place in the resort were suspended while this happened, and the focus placed on making sure as many officers as possible were mobilised with the aim of resolving the situation as soon as possible so the threat made wasn’t carried out and no-one was killed.

“The place where the alleged abductor and his victim could be was finally identified as a hotel in Benidorm where the man believed to be the kidnapper had checked in days earlier with another British man.

“A discreet watch was placed on the hotel and preparations were being made for a possible rescue when officers spotted two men coming out of the establishment whose descriptions matched those of the alleged kidnapper and his victim who were chatting in a relaxed and amicable way.”

“Both men were intercepted and identified. It soon became apparent the kidnap had been staged with the aim of earning quick cash and both were arrested on suspicion of simulating a crime and for fraud.

“When they were being fingerprinted at a nearby police station, officers also discovered the supposed kidnapper had given a false name both when he checked into the hotel and when he identified himself to the police who arrested him. He was subsequently read his rights for another suspected crime of identity fraud.”

They face having to pick up the cost of the police operation to resolve the staged kidnap if they are found guilty.

The hotel where they were staying has not been named.