The police of Calgary, in Canada, are investigating and asking for help to identify the assailants. The rise in the price of Bitcoin (BTC) could be a motivating factor in this type of crime.
Two robbers recently beat and tied up an unidentified bitcoiner in his apartment in Calgary, Canada, to steal his cryptocurrency holdings. The subjects, who were carrying weapons, entered the property and forced the man to reveal the private keys to his Bitcoin wallet.
The crime took place in an apartment located in the 11600 block of Elbow Drive, in the Canyon Meadows community. The criminals also stole jewelry, computers, and bank cards, according to local police reports.
The authorities are trying to identify one of the criminals who withdrew money with the victim’s cards after the robbery. The subject went to a nearby ATM, which took pictures of him while he was requesting the funds. The police of Calgary are using one of those images to try to locate the offender.
The Criminals Used Violence to Get the Victim’s Bitcoin Wallet Keys
“The criminals forced the victim to give them his keys before confining him to a room. When the robbers left, the victim was able to free himself to call 911. The injuries that the victim received were not life-threatening,” according to local police.
The security body made two telephone numbers and a web page available to receive data that would help find the attacker. People who wish to offer information can do so anonymously so as not to put their security at risk.
No one knows the amount or the types of cryptocurrencies compromised after the armed robbery. The police also did not say whether there would be any kind of reward for informants who helped capture one or both criminals.
The Number of Bitcoin Thefts Is Still on the Rise
The developer and co-founder of the startup Casa, Jameson Lopp, spoke about this type of crime. He said that this is the second home invasion to steal Bitcoin so far this year. However, there have been similar reports in the past, in which a trader is a victim of beating in his home to steal his cryptocurrency holdings.
Two factors could be increasing the number of armed robberies and physical violence. These reasons are the boom in cryptocurrencies in the market and the rise in the price of Bitcoin. In other words, criminals do not just operate in the computing world with hacking attempts. They also take their action to the real world, in which they physically assault the victims.
There have been at least two situations related to the theft of Bitcoin so far in 2021. In the case of Canada, thieves broke into the property. However, these other cases were coordinated Bitcoin sales that ended in theft.
The first case occurred in Hong Kong, a group of criminals stole 15 BTC (equivalent to around USD 830,000) during an allegedly agreed sale transaction. The second case took place in March when a Bitcoin sale in Argentina turned into an armed robbery.
By Alexander Salazar
