Posted on 01/05/2018 11:32:23 PM PST by nickcarraway
Pavel Lerner, a blockchain expert, was taken hostage by masked gunmen on December 26
Kiev: Kidnappers in Ukraine have released an employee at a United Kingdom-registered cryptocurrency exchange after getting more than $1 million (Dh3.67 million) in bitcoins as ransom, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister told Reuters on Friday. Pavel Lerner, a leading analyst and blockchain expert, was abducted by unknown masked people on December 26, according to a statement by his company, EXMO Finance, on its website.
“This is the first such case in Ukraine linked to bitcoins,” Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, said in a phone text message. It was unclear who paid the ransom. Lerner’s work at EXMO did not involve access to the financial assets of its users, the company said, adding that the platform was operating normally.
“At the moment, he is safe, and there was no physical harm inflicted on him,” the statement said. “Nevertheless, Pavel is currently in a state of major stress, therefore, he will not provide any official comments in the coming days.”
News of the release came as bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies rebounded after two days of losses partly related to regulators toughening rules on digital currencies in an effort to curb excessive speculation. Many digital currencies surged in value this year. Strana.ua, a local news website, had earlier reported that six gun-toting men in dark clothing and balaclavas had snatched Lerner and pushed him into a minibus with stolen number plates.
(Excerpt) Read more at gulfnews.com ...
Whether law enforcement or someone else, good people need to make sure those kidnappers do not enjoy their ransom. Thugs watching this unfold should decide it’s too dangerous, not that it’s easy money.
This is all just to hype bit-coin.
Did the North Korean Bit-coin guy get released from his kidnapping yet?
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