Spanish police arrested five people and charged four others in Denmark on Thursday with the kidnapping and murder of a man who targeted cryptocurrencies.
The police operation dismantled what authorities said was a criminal gang responsible for stealing cryptocurrencies across borders.
The investigation began in April, when a woman came to Malaga police station to report that she and her partner had been kidnapped in the nearby town of Mijas. According to police, the couple was ambushed by three or four masked men dressed in black and armed with handguns.
The man was shot in the leg while trying to escape and the pair were forced into a car and taken to a house where they were held for several hours.
The attackers attempted to access the couple’s crypto wallets during the ordeal. The woman was released around midnight but her partner’s body was later found in woods. In addition to the gunshot wounds, he showed signs of violence, according to police.
Authorities conducted six raids on homes in Madrid and Malaga, seizing two pistols (one real, one fake), a baton, blood-stained clothing, mobile devices and documents.
Biological evidence related to the scene was also found. Danish police, working with Spanish police, have charged four people in connection with the case. Two of them are already in prison for similar crimes.
The case illustrates a growing trend: physical attacks aimed at gaining access to crypto wallets. The attacks have had an impact on the cryptocurrency space this year and sparked a campaign targeting so-called spanner attacks.
