Russian Citizen Kidnapped and Tortured for 30 Hours in Bali, Forced to Hand Over Crypto Password

Illustration of kidnapping (Pixabay)

DENPASAR - The Bali Regional Police revealed that a foreign citizen (WNA) from Russia with the initials AI was a victim of kidnapping in the South Kuta area, Badung Regency.

Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police, Police Commissioner General Ariasandy in Denpasar, Thursday, said the victim was allegedly detained and abused for almost 30 hours before being released, while the police are now hunting down the perpetrators.

The incident occurred on Thursday, July 2 at around 21.35 Wita. At that time, the victim had just returned from the Hedonist Restaurant to his residence in Villa in Pecatu Village.

Ariasandy explained that on the way, the victim was intercepted by a black Nissan Serena car. Two perpetrators wearing face coverings then ambushed the victim, handcuffed him with plastic handcuffs, covered his head, and forced him into the car.

The victim was then taken to a building suspected to be the location of the kidnapping.

"Based on the victim's statement, for almost 30 hours he was intimidated, beaten, and kicked by the perpetrators," said Ariasandy, quoted by Antara, Friday, July 10.

According to Ariasandy, the violence was allegedly carried out to force the victim to hand over the password to his crypto asset account.

In addition, the victim's Xiaomi mobile phone was also seized.

The perpetrator then used the key to the victim's villa which was on the dashboard of the motorcycle to enter Villa Ukulele.

From the location, the perpetrator took another mobile phone which was allegedly used by the victim to access the crypto asset account.

After getting what they wanted, the perpetrators released the victim on Saturday (4/7) at around 04.00 Wita in front of Udayana University Hospital, Jimbaran.

The victim then immediately went to the emergency installation to get medical treatment.

The Bali Police, which had previously received a missing person report, immediately increased the handling of the case to a police report related to alleged crimes of kidnapping, persecution, and theft with violence.

During the investigation, the police have examined a number of witnesses and conducted crime scene investigations at four locations, namely the Hedonist Restaurant, the abduction location in Pecatu, Villa Ukulele, and the location where the victim was dropped off in front of Udayana University Hospital.

Investigators also collected CCTV footage and analyzed cell phone communication data or cell dumps at all locations related to the case to track the whereabouts of the perpetrators.

Ariasandy said investigators were still investigating the identity of the perpetrators, including whether they were Indonesian citizens or foreign nationals. The police are also still calculating the value of the victim's losses due to the loss of crypto assets.

Currently, the investigation team is still hunting down the perpetrators by tracing the movement of the black Nissan Serena car used during the kidnapping.

The Bali Police emphasized that all reports, including those involving foreign nationals, were handled seriously in accordance with applicable legal procedures.