Gonzalo Refi was 32 years old, and he was an enthusiast of the computer and electronic equipment trade. The authorities are investigating the evidence to find the identity and whereabouts of the attackers.
Gonzalo Refi, a businessman from the city of La Plata, in Argentina, got shot to death yesterday, October 12, when, according to police sources, he escaped in his car from assailants who wanted to rob him.
He carried racks (support structures) and video cards (GPU) used for mining Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.
According to the version that the investigators handle and the one managed by the local press, Refi, 32, would have received an invitation to the city of Lanús, a few miles at the southern region of the Argentine capital.
The invitation was supposedly for an operation to purchase and sell equipment for mining. It was an ambush, and the real intention was to steal the high-end Audi S3 car he used to travel.
The authorities said that the boy is from La Plata and came to the city to close a deal, and it seems that they handed him over, says Adrián, a neighbor who witnessed the crime. The people who attacked him were on foot.
Three kids, one without a shirt and shorts and two with black jean pants, committed the crime. The reports of other witnesses show that the victim suffered several gunshot wounds and, at least one of them, was in his head. The attackers would have escaped without specifying the robbery.
Although the witness reports that the attackers were on foot, security cameras in the area indicated that they escaped in a white Citroën DS3 car. Experts from the Scientific Police of the Province of Buenos Aires are working to clarify the fact and find the identity and whereabouts of the murderers.
According to the information available on the Internet, Refi had opened a business specialized in security cameras and another in computer equipment. Some forums related to cryptocurrencies and play-to-earn games had him as a participant.
Other Fake Sales that end in Theft
In Argentina, a sale related to cryptocurrencies might hide criminal intentions. In March of this year, a robbery of the same characteristics occurred in the province of Mendoza.
On that occasion, a bitcoin (BTC) merchant arranged a meeting with two strangers to make an exchange between cryptocurrencies and fiat money. At gunpoint, they stole his phone and a sum of money that surpassed USD 3,000.
Similar events occur not only in Argentina. In Spain, days ago, there was a case of a Barcelona councilor who invited two people to sell them cryptocurrencies. The criminal ended up stealing their money with a firearm.
The Spanish councilor got arrested in Barcelona after carrying out a scam related to cryptocurrencies at gunpoint. Although there were no injuries, the police managed to verify that the weapon used had a bullet load. The assault, which is still under investigation, also involves cash, three cell phones, and a car.
By: Jenson Nuñez
