A foreign exchange trader and self-proclaimed “forex visionary” and “business icon” has identified himself as the victim of a violent kidnapping, speculating that his abduction was orchestrated by an unnamed rival company.

In a Facebook post and a Periscope video posted early Saturday, Mississauga-based entrepreneur Reza Mokhtarian, 33, alleged he was kidnapped by 10 men at gunpoint and held for 15 hours before being dumped in a ditch.

In a telephone interview with the Star, Mokhtarian compared the ordeal to thriller films like Hostel or Taken.

“I was just trying to get into the car and the next second I was being dragged into a van and put a cover over my head and told to get the f--- down,” he said. “It was brutal, man, I was hit so many times.

“I’m not sure how I am still alive.”

The mysterious incident came to light Thursday evening when Peel Regional Police said they were investigating the case of a 33-year-old man who had been found bound and beaten in a ditch off Winston Churchill Blvd., on the border of Brampton and Halton Hills.

On Saturday, Peel Regional Police spokesperson Const. Rachel Gibbs would not confirm if Mokhtarian was indeed the victim nor comment on his claims.

Investigators at the time described the suspects as four masked men accused of stealing the victim's vehicle, a grey 2010 Bentley with the licence plate "OCEANSKY” — a name associated with Mokhtarian’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. The luxury car has since been recovered.

Police said they continue to look for four suspects but Mokhtarian pegged the number of assailants as 10 on Facebook. He later told the Star he faced at least seven men. The discrepancy, he explained, was due to shock and painkilling drugs he had been given at the hospital.

Mokhtarian wrote on Facebook he is also suffering from broken ribs, a concussion, head trauma and “busted lower extremities” as a result of the ordeal. He said he has since employed “armed” bodyguards for protection.

“I cannot reveal too much information other than this was a setup from a Forex (foreign exchange market) company similar to mine that did not want me to continue trading,” he alleged on a Facebook post, without providing any evidence. “I am just happy that I can see my daughter and family.”

In a nine-minute video, Mokhtarian addresses online skepticism about the incident. “To those childish, idiotic individuals saying I staged this … would somebody stage this?” he says, lifting his sunglasses to show the discolored and inflated bruising around his eyes. “Don’t say stupid stuff.”

He also showed social media followers what appeared to be large purple bruises lining his lower chest, cuts and a swollen forehead.

“I had guns to my head, guns in my mouth, knives against me,” he says on the video. “I didn’t think I was going to see anybody again.”

According to his website, Mokhtarian is a business coach and global market trading heavyweight. “Reza’s inspirational story of an immigrant-turned-multi-millionaire business leader has attracted a global following,” it reads.

It also states he is the user behind @oceansky, “the world’s largest motivational Instagram account.” His online picture-posting profile has more than 80,000 followers.

Mokhtarian is no stranger to controversy online. Anonymous, unproven reviews on websites such as Ripoffreport.com allege that his former, now defunct brokerage, Capital Trust Markets, scammed investors and was involved in malicious trading practices.

Toronto lawyer David Marcovitch told CBC News on Friday that he represents five clients who claim they lost their investment in Mokhtarian’s former firm. Marcovitch suggested further legal action may be coming.

Google has posted a notice saying it removed links to a page on Mokhtarian's website MentorTips.com, because of a copyright violation complaint. A linked information site indicates the complaint came from another Toronto forex company, alleging Mokhtarian had plagiarized its educational material for his own site. Content on the front “education” page of Mokhtarian’s website is virtually identical to that of the other company.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Before the kidnapping, Mokhtarian was expected to host a business talk at Vaughan’s Westmount Event Centre on Thursday, according to his Facebook page.

Peel police said a passerby stumbled across a bound man near Winston Churchill Blvd. and Old Pine Crest Rd. at 5:20 p.m. Thursday. He was brought to a nearby police station and then transported to a Georgetown hospital, where he was treated for hypothermia and non-life-threatening injuries.

Halton police contacted Peel officers after the victim reported he had been grabbed as he was returning to his car in the Kennedy Rd. and Matheson Blvd. area in Mississauga.

With files from Laura DaSilva

Read more about: