Russian Authorities Charge Five Suspects Over Violent 10.4 Bitcoin Kidnapping and Extortion

Russian prosecutors have charged five men with kidnapping and aggravated robbery after they abducted and tortured a 22-year-old programmer to steal 10.4 Bitcoin, worth around $800,000. The gang targeted the victim after tracking luxury car photos on social media, abducting him on September 6 and holding him in a garage for roughly five hours. Under duress, the victim surrendered his wallet password, leading to four transactions. Total damages exceeded 84 million rubles, including stolen electronic devices and cash. Police intercepted the suspects across multiple cities after an internet outage forced them onto wiretappable cellular calls.