South Africa kidnappers make ransom demand in bitcoin

Abductors of boy, 13, left note demanding £92,000 worth of cryptocurrency for his release.

A gang that kidnapped a South African teenager from a playground at the weekend have demanded a ransom in bitcoin worth about $123,000, police have said.

The 13-year-old boy was taken in the town of Witbank in the eastern province of Mpumalanga while he was playing with two friends near his home. Witnesses said a Toyota Corolla pulled up nearby and the teenager was dragged in and driven away.

“We are investigating a case of kidnapping that happened on Sunday in Witbank. There was a demand that was made that the parents should deposit cash in bitcoins,” the police spokesman Leonard Hlathi said on Tuesday. Local media said the ransom note was left at the scene.

Source :

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/22/south-africa-kidnappers-ransom-demand-bitcoin