Five Arrested in Spain After Crypto Heist Leaves Man Dead and Woman Kidnapped — Four Charged in Denmark

Spanish police said on Wednesday they have arrested five people accused of abducting and killing a man in southern Spain as part of an attempt to steal his cryptocurrency. Authorities in Denmark have separately charged four other suspects in related cases.

The attack occurred in April when a couple were assaulted in the Malaga area. Police said the man was shot in the leg as he tried to flee. The victims were then taken to a house and held for several hours while the perpetrators attempted to access their digital wallets to steal crypto assets.

The woman was freed around midnight and reported the abduction to police. Officers later discovered the man’s body in a wooded area near Mijas in Malaga province.

Following coordinated searches of properties in Madrid and Malaga, investigators seized pistols and "numerous items related to the crime," including a pair of trousers stained with blood. Authorities also published video on social media showing officers raiding an unidentified location, searching a vehicle and collecting evidence; the footage shows multiple hooded, handcuffed suspects being escorted by police.

Spanish authorities did not specify when the arrests took place. In Denmark, prosecutors charged four people in connection with related matters; police said two of those charged were already serving prison sentences for similar offences.

Wider Context

Officials say kidnappings and attempted abductions linked to cryptocurrency have risen worldwide alongside the growing value and use of digital assets. Recent high-profile cases include:

• In May, an unnamed man believed to hold a substantial bitcoin fortune was allegedly tortured for weeks in his New York City home before escaping in Manhattan’s SoHo neighbourhood.
• In January, David Balland, co-founder of crypto hardware firm Ledger, and his partner were kidnapped in France; Balland reportedly had a finger severed by his captors before being freed the next day.
• Also in May, attackers in Paris tried unsuccessfully to abduct the daughter and grandson of the chief executive of crypto platform Paymium.
• In another May case, police rescued the father of a cryptocurrency millionaire in a Paris suburb; media reports said the kidnappers demanded at least a €5 million ransom and were tracked by phone signals.
• Earlier in January, a 56-year-old man was found alive in the trunk of a car near Le Mans after abductors allegedly attempted to extort money from his son, a crypto influencer based in Dubai.

Investigators in Spain and Denmark continue to probe the incidents and any cross-border links. Authorities urge crypto users to exercise heightened caution about security and to report suspicious approaches to law enforcement.