Spanish media reported on Wednesday that a cryptocurrency businessman claimed that thieves had stolen “tens of thousands of euros in bitcoin” after robbing his apartment in Madrid.
The victim claims that the thieves tortured him for four hours and forced him to reveal the passwords for his digital assets.
Four or five people rang the doorbell of the man’s apartment and entered when the door opened for them.
The Spanish police confirmed the authenticity of the media reports. The perpetrators are suspected to have come from Eastern Europe, however, a spokesman for investigators said they were following all possible avenues.
The burglary took place Tuesday in a luxury apartment complex near the Prado Museum in the center of the Spanish capital, and the victim is a 38-year-old U.S. citizen from Santa Barbara, California, who has lived in Spain since the late 1990s. .
Two more men – a friend and a craftsman – were in the apartment at the time of the robbery, and both were tied up and gagged, according to information provided by the victim.
The man said the robbers hit him with an electric pistol, took him by the chest with a knife and sprayed something in his eyes. Thieves reportedly stole laptops, tablets and cell phones.
According to media reports, there are eyewitnesses to the crime. A neighbor said he saw a group of masked men carrying several large bags and leaving the building.