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Gun-toting robbers forced a wealthy currency trader to transfer his entire Bitcoin fortune in a Oxfordshire village home invastion. The man's wife was also tied up by the thugs.
The Daily Mail reported that the attackers put the couple's baby outside in a pram and then forced the man to give them his online money.
The heist, which occurred early last week, is believed to be the first of its kind.
Bitcoin is favoured by criminals as it cannot be traced.
News of the home invasion triggered a lockdown at a nearby school.
A resident told the Daily Mail: ‘The village is in a real state of shock right now. For something like this to happen here is terrifying. It’s a very quiet place and, although there is a lot of money round here, a digital currency heist is the last thing anyone would expect – particularly during the school run.’
Mark Shone, chief executive of Explain The Market, said: ‘These are criminals who have likely caught on to the current popularity of Bitcoin.
‘But depending on how much they have, these coins are like being in possession of a rare painting. Trying to exchange large amounts for normal money without alerting suspicion will be very difficult.’
The police spokesman said: ‘Officers were called at about 9.40am to a report that offenders had entered a residential property off Reading Road and threatened the occupants. No one was seriously injured during the incident.”
Additional details, including the victims identities, were scant. It was not immediate known how the thugs knew of the man's Bitcoin fortune.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
