POLICE launched themselves over a backyard fence as an alleged blackmailer pushed his captive into a shallow grave at Pakenham in a bizarre ransom bid, a court heard today.
Darren Saltmarsh, 35, met his alleged victim, a Nepalese student studying in Melbourne, through internet dating website Oasis Active and offered to enter into an arranged marriage with her if she paid him $20,000, Melbourne Magistrates Court heard.
In return for the marriage, she would win permanent residency in Australia, Detective Sen-Constable Glen Sharper told the court.
Det Sharper said Mr Saltmarsh, who was already married to a woman named Roxy or Roxanne in the Philippines, had made an almost identical offer to another woman named Jasmin, in Sydney, through Oasis Active, and that case was also being investigated by police.
He said it was believed Mr Saltmarsh was intent on targeting foreign students in Australia with arranged marriage offers in return for money and promises of a permanent visa.
Bankrupt with a gambling problem, Mr Saltmarsh had made complaints to police about how cashed up foreigners were coming to Australia and how it was unfair his Filipino wife was not being allowed into the country, Det Sharper said.
The court heard fresh details on how Mr Saltmarsh allegedly kidnapped his young victim from outside St Paul's Cathedral on Swanston St two weeks ago after she had earlier refused to marry him in return for cash and permanent residency.
After driving the woman to a property at Pakenham, Mr Saltmarsh allegedly held a knife to her throat and tied her hands and feet - the beginning of a 65-hour hostage ordeal from October 18 to 20.
An as yet unidentified female accomplice at one point accessed an ATM at Endeavour Hills to withdraw $800 from the victim's account, transferring half into Mr Saltmarsh's account, after the victim's personal banking details were extorted, the court heard.
Mr Saltmarsh forced the bound-woman into the boot of his vehicle, where she vomited in fear, and drove her around for 45 minutes before forcing her to phone her mother in Nepal and insist they transfer two lots of $10,000 into her account or she would be tortured, Det Sharper said.
Her family then contacted Nepalese authorities who alerted consular staff and passed the threat onto Victoria Police, the court heard.
During her almost three days as a captive, the woman was given only water, tied up for the entire time, given no food or shower and had to sleep on a couch with Mr Saltmarsh at her feet, the court heard.
On the final day of the drama, the woman was led from the house after Mr Saltmarsh said she needed "some fresh air".
He led her, still bound and with a beanie over her head, to a shallow grave police had watched him dig hours before, prosecutor Julian Ayers said.
He then pushed her into the grave as police breached the property's rear fence to make their arrest, the court heard.
Det Sharper told the court despite claims by Mr Saltmarsh the grave was an elaborate staging event, there were no digital cameras or phone cameras at the property capable of using any images to further the extortion bid.
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