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The wife of investment banker Harry C. Piper, Virginia Piper was abducted by vigilantes at her home in Minnesota in 1972.

After the ransom of US$1 million (more than $6 million today) was paid, she was found chained to a tree.

▲In 2009, an oil tanker called Maran Centaurus was held up by Somali pirates.

▲Da Cruz was an executive with Kodak who worked in Argentina. He was kidnapped by the People’s Revolutionary Army in 1973.

▲The crew were held hostage for US$7 million, which was paid two months later.

▲Apparently, Da Cruz was treated respectfully while in captivity. He was released after Kodak paid up the US$1.5 million ransom (around about $9 million today).

▲The Samho Dream was a supertanker that was hijacked back in 2010. Somali pirates held the crew ransom, requesting US$9 million.

▲The Army asked for US$1.7 million, which was duly paid. The amount is valued at around $10 million today.

▲The ship was held for a whopping 217 days before the payment was made.

▲Francis Brimicombe worked with the British American Tobacco company, which is behind products like Pall Mall. He was also kidnapped in 1973 by the People's Revolutionary Army.

▲A huge story at the time, John Paul Getty III was the grandson of Jean Paul Getty, a wealthy oil tycoon. He was kidnapped by Italian gangsters in 1973 in Rome.

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Thompson was the president of Firestone in 1973 when he too was kidnapped by the People's Revolutionary Army in Argentina.

The guerilla group asked for about US$3 million, which can be equaled to $18 million today. He was freed around two and a half weeks later.

▲The abductors asked for US$3 million, which can be valued at around $18 million today. They cut off one of Getty's ears when the original ransom wasn't met.

▲In one of the most infamous ransom stories ever, sophomore student Patty Hearst (center) was kidnapped back in 1974. The ransom was unusual, around US$70 worth of food for every hungry person in California.

▲The 21-year-old son of Edgar Bronfman Sr. (right), the former CEO of Seagram drinks, was kidnapped in 1975 in New York and ransomed at US$2.3 million.

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Enrique Metz was an executive for Mercedes Benz which was based in Argentina. Metz was kidnapped by the guerrilla group Montoneros in 1975.

Montoneros ransomed Metz for US$5 million, which is worth around $24 million today.

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Lockwood was a consultant on green business strategies, who was kidnapped by Argentina's People's Revolutionary Army twice! The first was in 1973, with a ransom of US$2 million (nearly $12 million today).

The second time was in 1975, with a ransom of US$10 million (more than $48 million today).

▲Walter Kwok was the son of Kwok Tak Seng, one of the richest billionaires in Hong Kong. In 1997, he was kidnapped by Cheung Tze-keung, an infamous Chinese gangster.

▲Samuelson was kidnapped by the People's Revolutionary Army in 1974, with a ransom set at US$14.2 million. He was held for 98 days before Esso Argentina paid the price, which is around $77 million by today's standards.

▲Victor Samuelson was a rescue refinery manager who worked for Esso Argentina (under Exxon).

▲Victor Li was ransomed at US$134 million, which is around $219 million today. The infamous gangster, nicknamed "Big Spender," was later arrested, and executed in 2000.

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Jorge and Juan Born were stockholders in Bunge & Born, one of the biggest businesses in Buenos Aires. They were both kidnapped in 1974, with a steep ransom set at US$60 million.

The pair were abducted by Montoneros but were freed nine months later after the ransom was paid. Today, the ransom is estimated to be worth $326 million.

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The same gangster behind Walter Kwok's kidnapping also reportedly abducted Victor Li in 1996. Victor Li is the son of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing (pictured).

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Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, a militant group that also orchestrated bank robberies. Hearst's father, Randolph Hearst (son of William Randolph Hearst Sr.), ended up giving out more than US$2 million worth of food (over $10 million's worth today).

▲Samuel Bronfman II (left) was held for over a week before he was freed, with the ransom worth around $11 million today.

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The ransom was set at around US$77 million, which was paid. Kwok was then found alive in a wooden box in a village house. It's said that Kwok had a rivalry with his brothers, who didn't want to pay the ransom, which is around $122 million by today's standards.

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Here's a list of incidents where millions were paid to the perpetrators in exchange for the release of hostages.

The most expensive ransoms ever paid

The price paid for the release of hostages in recent times

16/10/24 por StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Crime

There are millions of ways to make money around the world. Holding loved ones ransom is probably one of the more corrupt jobs, but it has happened countless times across the globe.

Click on to find out how much people are willing to pay, to see the people they love once more.