A UK couple has shared chilling details of a December home invasion in Solihull, southeast of Birmingham, where masked intruders forced their way into their residence and stole hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency.
According to reports, the unidentified businessman—referred to as James—and his pregnant wife were targeted by criminals demanding digital funds. When James attempted to defend himself, he was struck with hammers, while attackers pinned his pregnant wife to a sofa and suffocated her with a pillow.
During the raid, a fourth remote accomplice guided the on-site criminals via FaceTime, instructing them to check the victim's phone for crypto wallets. After locating a wallet containing significant funds, the attackers escalated their threats, threatening to stab the pregnant woman in the stomach and kill her unborn baby unless the funds were transferred.
James ultimately transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds to the attackers. He overheard the remote ringleader on the phone telling the on-site perpetrators to take a smaller portion while the ringleader kept the rest.
This incident is part of a broader rise in physical extortion and "wrench attacks" targeting cryptocurrency holders. Notable figures in the industry, including Binance France Vice President David Prinçay and Ledger co-founder David Balland, have previously faced similar threats. Additionally, a recent attack in Mexico resulted in the deaths of musician Jonathan Meléndez and his pregnant wife during a robbery involving a hardware wallet.
