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Two Ukrainians and two Armenians arrested in Thailand for kidnapping a Ukrainian tourist who was forced to transfer a large sum in cryptocurrency
Four foreigners were detained in Thailand on charges of robbing a Ukrainian tourist in the amount of 8.5 million baht in the Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency. The incident occurred on Friday evening in a hotel on the island of Phuket, reports The Nation.
23-year-old Vyacheslav Leibov told the police that one of the detainees, 19-year-old Ukrainian citizen Alfred Chernyshuk, invited him to his room. There, Leibov found another of the suspects, 21-year-old Armenian citizen Arman Grigoryan.
When Leibov went to the toilet, he was attacked by two masked men hiding inside. They tied his hands and feet with ropes and cable ties. According to the victim, Grigoryan threatened to break his finger with a hammer, demanding to transfer digital currency in an amount equivalent to half a million US dollars. One of the attackers was armed with a long knife.
Leibov managed to bargain for half the amount, after which he transferred 8.5 million baht to Tether (USDT), a stable cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar. The robbers tied him to the bed, took their belongings and left the room.
After his release, Leibov found out at the hotel that the room had been rented by Chernyshuk and Grigoryan. He tried to catch up with the criminals on his own on a motorcycle, heading to Phuket airport. Not finding them there, he contacted the police of the Kamala district on Sunday.
Early Monday morning, police detained four suspects at the Palm Inn Hotel in Takua Pa District, Phang Nga Province. In addition to Chernyshuk and Grigoryan, 22-year-old Ukrainian citizen Ruslan Musayev and 21-year-old Russian citizen Miraz Atoyan were arrested.
All four were charged with armed robbery and unlawful deprivation of liberty. According to the police, one of the suspects regularly bought USDT from Leibov and, knowing that he had large sums of cryptocurrency, planned a robbery.
The detainees tried to hire a driver to travel to Malaysia, but he refused and dropped them off at a hotel in Phang Nga. There they rented four VIP rooms, but occupied only two, hoping to confuse the police.
The owner of the hotel where the attack took place told One 31 that he saw Leibov tied up by masked men. He assumed that they were making videos for YouTube as he did not hear screams or signs of a struggle.
Four foreigners were detained in Thailand on charges of robbing a Ukrainian tourist in the amount of 8.5 million baht in the Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency. The incident occurred on Friday evening in a hotel on the island of Phuket, reports The Nation.
23-year-old Vyacheslav Leibov told the police that one of the detainees, 19-year-old Ukrainian citizen Alfred Chernyshuk, invited him to his room. There, Leibov found another of the suspects, 21-year-old Armenian citizen Arman Grigoryan.
When Leibov went to the toilet, he was attacked by two masked men hiding inside. They tied his hands and feet with ropes and cable ties. According to the victim, Grigoryan threatened to break his finger with a hammer, demanding to transfer digital currency in an amount equivalent to half a million US dollars. One of the attackers was armed with a long knife.
Leibov managed to bargain for half the amount, after which he transferred 8.5 million baht to Tether (USDT), a stable cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar. The robbers tied him to the bed, took their belongings and left the room.
After his release, Leibov found out at the hotel that the room had been rented by Chernyshuk and Grigoryan. He tried to catch up with the criminals on his own on a motorcycle, heading to Phuket airport. Not finding them there, he contacted the police of the Kamala district on Sunday.
Early Monday morning, police detained four suspects at the Palm Inn Hotel in Takua Pa District, Phang Nga Province. In addition to Chernyshuk and Grigoryan, 22-year-old Ukrainian citizen Ruslan Musayev and 21-year-old Russian citizen Miraz Atoyan were arrested.
All four were charged with armed robbery and unlawful deprivation of liberty. According to the police, one of the suspects regularly bought USDT from Leibov and, knowing that he had large sums of cryptocurrency, planned a robbery.
The detainees tried to hire a driver to travel to Malaysia, but he refused and dropped them off at a hotel in Phang Nga. There they rented four VIP rooms, but occupied only two, hoping to confuse the police.
The owner of the hotel where the attack took place told One 31 that he saw Leibov tied up by masked men. He assumed that they were making videos for YouTube as he did not hear screams or signs of a struggle.
