Kidnappers of businessman Kiro Kirov, 70, who has been missing since March 27, have asked for a ransom of at least one million leva, private broadcaster Darik Radio said on April 6 2009.

Darik is the first and only media in Bulgaria to report the news about the ransom. Both the Interior Ministry and Kirov's son Ivan Kirov have refused to comment on the report, for which Darik did not identify its source.

Kirov's family reported him as missing on March 29 after did not come home two days earlier. According to police, Kirov parked his luxury vehicle in the garage of his house in Sofia’s Bankya neighbourhood. His relatives later found it with the doors open. Kirov’s two mobile phones have been switched off since March 27.

At first, his son Ivan Kirov reported him missing but on March 29 he told private national broadcaster Nova Televisia that his father had called him and told him that he was abroad without saying when he was coming back to the country.

Later on, he told Bulgarian-language daily 24 Chassa that his father could be on holiday abroad and the opened door of his vehicle was a result of a burglary attempt which "only coincided with my father's leave".

Kirov's company, Kirov plc, is a famous name in the construction business in Bulgaria, involved in the import of and sale of excavation and construction equipment. It has millions of leva in annual turnover, although recently Bulgarian media speculated that the company has been going through a rough time and owed millions to creditors.

According to Darik, Kirov could have been kidnapped by the same people who kept Angel Bonchev, former president of Litex Lovech football club, in captivity for 50 days in 2008. Despite police efforts, his whereabouts remained unknown.

On July 10 2008, Bonchev was released but his wife Kamelia was taken, presumably as a she was to drop a ransom payment. She was released on July 30, a day after Angel Bonchev donated 157 000 euro to the Utre za Vseki foundation, which fights breast cancer. Both continue to refuse talking about the case.