According to the Turkish newspaper Habertürk, the police recently managed to capture a gang of five kidnappers in Merter, a suburb west of Istanbul. This is the first time in Turkey that the police is conducting an operation for a crime related to bitcoin. According to reports, the thugs managed to extract 450 bitcoins from a businessman, worth about $ 3.54 million.
A simple operating procedure
The gang followed the man to his car pretending to be police officers, before sequestering him in a van. Under the threat of a firearm, criminals forced him to give his bank credentials, along with all his bitcoins. The ordeal lasted eight hours before the victim was finally released safe and sound.
Just after the fact, the businessman went directly to the police station to file a complaint. The investigation quickly began and the police were able to identify the gang members, who had left many traces behind them.
A successful survey
Once the perpetrators were identified, the authorities launched a surveillance operation in which they managed to locate the gang and film its members. Turkish cybercrime officials have tracked down criminals by tracking funds stolen from Blockchain Bitcoin. It was not indicated whether the police were able to return the stolen bitcoins.
The investigation was a great success, the gang was caught red-handed while preparing to kidnap a second victim. The investigation revealed that the suspects also allegedly stole ASICs to mine Bitcoin in Esenler District.
According to the Daily Sabah, one of the leaders of the gang was convicted of extortion and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Another suspect was arrested but he finally managed to escape.
A little too bling-bling?
The gang would have decided to target the businessman after seeing on social networks photos in which he exhibited an extravagant lifestyle.
As any lover of cryptocurrency should know, flaunting one's wealth is never a good idea. This man will have paid the price for it.