In Kharkiv, police have detained three people suspected of kidnapping a man, holding him in a basement, and taking more than $97,000 in cash and cryptocurrency. The incident occurred on October 10, 2025, near a currency exchange point in the city center.
According to police, around noon, three unknown men in military uniforms and balaclavas forced a 32-year-old man into an unmarked Mercedes-Benz Vito, tied him up with plastic ties, beat him and threatened him with a weapon. The attackers took 14,600 euros in cash from the victim, then held him in a basement, where they forced him to transfer more than $83,000 in USDT cryptocurrency to their wallets.
After several hours of psychological and physical pressure, the attackers threw the victim on the side of the road in the village of Bezlyudivka, Kharkiv district. During the operational measures, the police identified three suspects - they are from 30 to 39 years old; among the detainees is a serviceman. All three were notified of suspicion, the court chose a preventive measure - detention.
Law enforcement officers are conducting investigative actions to identify all those involved in the crime and are working out the channels for laundering the stolen funds in cryptocurrency. The investigation is also checking the possible connections of the detainees with other criminal groups and the sources of origin of the weapons.
