In a recent incident that underscores the growing risks associated with the cryptocurrency industry, a 23-year-old cryptocurrency miner in the city of Izhevsk, Russia, was kidnapped by a criminal gang. The incident occurred on December 25 and culminated in the kidnappers demanding a substantial ransom from the victim’s family.
However, swift action by the authorities led to the arrest of the perpetrators, shedding light on the dangers faced by individuals involved in the cryptocurrency sector.
Cryptocurrency miner abduction and ransom demand
On December 25, a 23-year-old cryptocurrency miner in Izhevsk, Russia, was forcibly abducted from the yard in front of his house. The perpetrators, who were identified as members of a criminal gang, fled the scene in a vehicle registered to a retiree in Perm. This shocking incident came to public attention when it was reported by Ren TV on December 27.
Following the abduction, the kidnappers, one of whom was known to the victim, initiated contact with the victim’s brother through the messaging platform Telegram. In their message, they demanded a ransom of 15 million rubles, equivalent to approximately $166,000. The criminals threatened to plant drugs on the victim and turn him over to the police if their demands were not met.
Law enforcement authorities acted swiftly to locate and apprehend the individuals responsible for the kidnapping. These criminals had prior criminal records, including charges of robbery and extortion. As a result of their actions, they now face the prospect of serving up to 12 years in prison for their involvement in this harrowing incident.
The Izhevsk kidnapping is not an isolated incident within the cryptocurrency industry. In December of the previous year, Aiden Pleterski, known as Ontario’s ‘crypto king,’ fell victim to kidnapping, forcible confinement, and assault at the hands of a group of five individuals. Moreover, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao revealed that criminals had targeted executives from one of the exchange’s clients, forcing them to empty their crypto wallets and resulting in a loss of approximately $12.5 million. Fortunately, Binance managed to freeze a substantial portion of these ill-gotten gains, amounting to around $11.8 million.
Tragically, the cryptocurrency sector has also witnessed more sinister cases, such as the disappearance and death of John Forsyth, an ER doctor and crypto millionaire. Although his body was discovered in the Missouri Ozarks in May, his family received information from a mutual friend suggesting that he had been kidnapped and subsequently released in February 2022 in a case allegedly linked to cryptocurrency.
