Gang in Ivanovo Kidnaps Programmer for 10.39 BTC

A criminal group that kidnapped and tortured a local programmer to access his cryptocurrency assets has been uncovered in Ivanovo. The perpetrators caught the victim's attention by showcasing a luxurious lifestyle on social media.

Timeline of Events

On September 6, the man was abducted while heading to a store. The criminals handcuffed him and drove him to a garage, where they began beating him and threatening to torture him with an iron and soldering iron to obtain passwords for his phones and crypto wallets.

The victim agreed to cooperate after the gangsters threatened physical harm. As a result of the perpetrators' actions, the following assets were stolen:

• 1 million rubles in cash
• iPhone smartphone
• MacBook laptop
• 39 BTC (equivalent to approximately $812,000)

After the robbery, the victim was taken to the forest and left with his hands tied. The total damage exceeded 84 million rubles. The criminals had already spent part of the stolen funds on purchasing real estate and cars.

Investigators have detained five members of the gang. All of them have prior convictions for serious crimes and met each other in penitentiary institutions. The investigation is ongoing, and details regarding the theft of digital assets are being clarified.