Kyiv police, along with the nation’s special police unit, have arrested four suspects in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a 29-year-old foreign national Bitcoiner in Kyiv, Ukraine. The victim was forced to transfer approximately $170,000 worth of Bitcoin before being killed.
The Incident
The four male suspects, aged between 24 and 29, allegedly planned the attack, which occurred around midnight on July 29. According to the Kyiv Police, residents alerted authorities after hearing screams and witnessing the victim being assaulted and forced into a car.
The victim was taken to an abandoned building, where he was coerced into transferring roughly 7 million Ukrainian hryvnias worth of Bitcoin, equivalent to about 2.55 BTC. The attackers then strangled the victim and buried his body in a forest. The suspects attempted to conceal their crime by changing the appearance and license plates of the car used in the abduction. They converted the stolen Bitcoin into stacks of U.S. dollar and euro bills before being apprehended by the police.
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Legal Proceedings and Warnings
Kyiv prosecutors are pressing charges against the suspects, which include murder, robbery, illegal deprivation of liberty, and concealment of a crime. If convicted, all four men could face life imprisonment.
The cryptocurrency community has been alarmed by a series of violent incidents targeting crypto holders. In 2022, a crypto millionaire was found dismembered in Argentina, and another person was beaten to death in Bulgaria, with body parts disposed of in a drain.
Jameson Lopp, a notable Bitcoin cypherpunk, has warned against flaunting wealth on social media and engaging in peer-to-peer trades with strangers. He emphasizes that keeping a low profile can reduce the risk of becoming a target for criminals.
