Australian woman kidnaps Saudi Arabian prince for Bitcoin

In Sydney, Australia, 24-year-old Katherine Kolivas orchestrated the kidnapping of a member of the Saudi royal family. Together with three accomplices, she lured the victim to a date via a dating app, but the evening turned into a real-life crime thriller instead of a romantic night.

After the date, Kolivas asked the man to walk her home. There, her accomplices were waiting for him. They attacked the victim, beat him, tied him up with cable ties, and threatened to cut off his fingers.

The goal – Bitcoin

The victim was a cryptocurrency trader. This played into the kidnappers’ hands: they demanded a ransom of $40,000, which the man transferred in Bitcoin through a friend. But the criminals didn’t stop there. They stole the victim’s house keys and took designer clothes, a PlayStation 5 console, and several iPhones from his home.

Escape and punishment

After receiving the ransom, the kidnappers released the man, who immediately reported the incident to the police and was hospitalized with injuries to his head and wrists. Katherine Kolivas pleaded guilty to kidnapping, extortion, causing bodily harm, and theft. An Australian court, taking into account her young age, fragile mental health, difficult childhood, and the death of her brother during the hearings, sentenced her to 30 months of community service. The other participants also avoided prison, issuing apologies to the victim.

This story is not the only instance of cryptocurrency being used in criminal schemes. In November, unknown assailants kidnapped WonderFi CEO Dean Skurka in Canada, demanding a $1 million ransom.