SAO PAULO, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A helicopter pilot working for Formula 1's Bernie Ecclestone was arrested Monday on accusations of involvement in the kidnapping of the CEO's mother-in-law, Aparecida Schunck.
Helicopter pilot Jorge Eurico da Silva Faria, the accused mastermind behind the kidnapping, was one of three people arrested by Brazilian police. The pilot's involvement was discovered after police traced phone calls between him and the two other suspects, Vitor Oliveira Amorim and David Vicente Azevedo, who were arrested Sunday.
Schunck, 67, mother of 38-year-old Fabiana Flosi -- Ecclestone's wife -- was abducted from her Sao Paulo home on July 22. Sao Paulo police said a $36.7 million ransom was demanded.
Ecclestone, 85, worth about $3.1 billion, said he wanted to travel to Brazil to assist in efforts to free Schunck, but security officials said it may be counterproductive. He and Flosi remained in Britain. Schunck was rescued Sunday.
Police discovered the suspect's hideout by triangulating phone calls, using fingerprint analysis and viewing CCTV footage.
