Crypto thieves attack man in home and threaten to kill pregnant wife's baby in 'horrific' robbery
The man was beaten with hammers until he transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds of cryptocurrency.
A businessman named James was brutally assaulted and threatened with murder by masked intruders who broke into his home in Solihull. The criminals demanded James unlock his phone and hand it over, apparently knowing he held significant amounts of cryptocurrency. The attackers, using instructions given via a live video call, threatened to stab his pregnant wife and kill her unborn baby unless he transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of crypto to their digital wallet.
The attack lasted 45 minutes before the man complied and the robbers fled the scene in a car driven by a getaway driver. James' wife, in her early thirties and seven months pregnant, was held down on the sofa during the assault and threatened by one of the intruders. The baby was born full term after an emergency delivery and survived the ordeal.
Police are investigating the incident and Crimestoppers has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Experts warn of a growing trend known as "wrench attacks," violent robberies targeting cryptocurrency investors. With the value of crypto coins increasing, these brutal attacks targeting digital assets are becoming more common across the UK, France, and the US.
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