Three men accused of cryptocurrency extortion have been charged. Police say they are part of a larger criminal organization, and their methods include monitoring victims’ lives and issuing threats to extort them. Cryptocurrency asset holders face high risk; security experts advise strengthening awareness and protection, and they call for cross-border law enforcement cooperation to address such crimes. The incident has sparked further concern about cryptocurrency security and regulation.

A court in Honggang District, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, ruled that two men were convicted of stealing electricity by illegally tapping an oil-field high-voltage power line to power Bitcoin mining. The principal offender, Zhang, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 50,000 yuan, while the accomplice, Zhao, was sentenced to 4 years and 10 months and fined 20,000 yuan. The total value of the stolen electricity exceeded 800,000 yuan.

Israeli Air Force reservists are accused of using confidential information to trade on Polymarket in order to profit from the war between Israel and Iran that began last year. The two men have been charged with serious security offenses, bribery, and obstruction of justice. They had previously successfully predicted specific military operations and earned $162,663 in profits. Details of the case have been partially disclosed, but the defendants’ names have not yet been made public.

A kidnapping incident occurred in Madrid, Spain, where a 33-year-old Canadian cryptocurrency entrepreneur was forcibly detained by multiple men with the intent to steal BTC and private keys. Police rescued the victim in time and arrested two suspects. The case involves premeditated stalking and physical coercion attacks and remains under investigation.

Three men conspired to steal over $6.9 million in cryptocurrency from the SafeX trading platform, and 38-year-old Chinese man Zhang Xinghua was sentenced to two years for money laundering. The police have frozen $2.1 million in cryptocurrency, and the remaining $4.8 million cannot be recovered because it is stored in offshore wallets.

Gate News Report, March 8 — A 25-year-old mainland businessman reported being illegally confined and extorted by four mainland men at a hotel in Hung Hom, Hong Kong. The suspects assaulted the victim and forced him to provide his cryptocurrency password, then transferred approximately $680,000 worth of cryptocurrency. The suspects then went to the victim's company to take about 42 kilograms of silver goods, with total losses exceeding HKD 6 million. The victim was released in the early hours and reported the case, suffering injuries to the face, arms, and calves. The case is currently classified as illegal confinement and extortion, and is under investigation by the Kowloon City Criminal Investigation Division.

The Omsk City Court in Russia sentenced three young men to five years in prison for holding a knife and robbing cryptocurrency holders. They used violence and threats to force victims to hand over assets, but ultimately gained no profit and fled after neighbors noticed. This case reflects an increase in violent crimes targeting crypto assets worldwide, and Russia is strengthening its crackdown on such crimes.

7 police officers and 5 men stormed a residence in Kajang, Malaysia, extorting approximately 200,000 ringgit from 8 Chinese tourists. They used threats of reporting as leverage, and the police have arrested the officers involved. The case highlights serious issues of crime and impersonation of law enforcement.

PANews February 3 News, according to French media reports, three men in their twenties were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a 74-year-old man. The incident occurred on the morning of January 25th in Voiron, Isère Province, southeastern France. The kidnappers attempted to extort $3.5 million worth of cryptocurrency from the victim's son but ultimately discovered that his son was not a cryptocurrency billionaire but an ordinary web developer. Police stated that after the victim was kidnapped, he was subjected to nearly 16 hours of torture, including finger amputation and facial injuries. The kidnappers also took the victim to a back room of a bar to film abuse videos and sent them via encrypted messages to his son to demand ransom. After confirming the target was mistaken, the kidnappers released the victim that evening. In recent years, France has seen an upward trend in kidnapping and violence related to cryptocurrencies. According to statistics, last year France reported 19 similar cases, including Ledger joint

French police arrest three men for allegedly kidnapping and torturing a 74-year-old man in an attempt to extort $3.5 million in cryptocurrency from his son. The gang tortured the elderly man for nearly 16 hours and ultimately released him after mistakenly assessing the victim's son's financial situation. Currently, kidnapping cases related to cryptocurrency are gradually increasing in France.