The US Authorities have filed a lawsuit and have charged six men in connection with kidnapping of a family of three and a nanny in Chicago and subsequent dacoity of $15 million in cryptocurrencies.
As per the recent reports by the Chicago Tribune, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of US has stated that on October 2024, the kidnappers had knocked on the door of the victim’s house acting as if they had accidentally damaged the victim’s garage door and the kidnappers than have forced their way inside with the guns.
Then the kidnappers forced the victims to get in a van and then took them to an Airbnb about an hour away for one night and then to another house the next day. After the kidnapping, the kidnappers demanded payment of $15 million from victims in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and other cryptocurrencies. The victims also stated that they threatened them that if they didn’t transfer the money in cryptocurrencies the kidnappers would kill them.
Reports highlight that the victims were released on Nov.1, 2024. The six suspects were charged on Dec.13, 2024, and only one suspect named Zehuan Wei, was arrested for entering the US from Mexico on Jan 17, 2025. And the other five men Fan Zhang, Huajing Yan, Shengnan Jiang, Shiqiang Lian and Ye Cao, are believed to have fled to China after Wei’s arrest.
US officials collected evidence before they claimed the charges which included accessing surveillance footage from Airbnb and examining cryptocurrency wallets and the contents from inside the white Ford van. However, the US authorities have only accounted for $6 million from $15 million in cryptocurrencies.
Also Read: Crypto Trader Abducted by Fake Cops in Karachi, $340K Robbed
