In Indonesia, a citizen of Ukraine became a victim of kidnapping and robbery, as a result of which he was forced to transfer about $214 thousand in cryptocurrency to the criminals. About said Head of the Public Relations Department of the Bali Police, Senior Commissioner Ariasandi.
On December 15, 2024, Ukrainian Igor Yermakov and his driver were driving a BMW to a villa when two cars blocked their car on a street – one in front and one behind.
Four men, probably russian citizens, got out of the front car. They were dressed in black, had their faces covered, and were carrying knives, hammers, and pistols. The attackers handcuffed the victim, covered his head and forcibly took him to their villa in Jimbaran.
There, the criminals beat the Ukrainian and forced him to provide access to his Binance cryptocurrency account. Threats and torture forced him to transfer assets totaling 3.5 billion rupees (about $214 thousand).
The Bali police have launched an investigation into this high-profile case and have already arrested one suspect. According to Ariasandi, on January 30, 2025, one of the alleged attackers was detained at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. He was considered the leader of the criminal group and tried to flee from Indonesia to Dubai.
The rest of the criminals are still wanted.
Last year in Phuket, a popular tourist island in Thailand, acquaintances robbed a 23-year-old Ukrainian Vyacheslav Leibov. He was forced to transfer USDT stablecoins worth about $249 thousand.
Also last week, 10 criminals David Balland, co-founder of the French cryptocurrency company Ledger, and his wife were kidnappedand demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency, part of which was paid. The police managed to free the hostages.