Spanish entrepreneur allegedly tortured to reveal Bitcoin private keys

The National Police in Madrid have launched a formal investigation following claims of a robbery and attempted kidnapping by a citizen that claimed he was tortured to reveal the private keys of his crypto wallet.

The said event happened at Zaryn Dentzel’s apartment on Oct 9. Dentzel, who was expecting a guest, answered the doorbell only to be overpowered by multiple hooded men who obstructed the security cameras and then attacked him and the company he was with. They were threatened and tortured several times until Dentzel gave up critical information relating to his cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts.

Dentzel has been a long-term investor in Bitcoin and has supposedly accumulated several million Euros in the flagship cryptocurrency. He initially made his fortune by co-founding the popular Spanish social network Tuenti.

When asked during the investigation, the porter at the gatehouse claimed that he did not see any suspicious character enter or exit. Meanwhile, the National Police in Madrid has confirmed that no suspects have been detained so far, though they suspect it may have been the handiwork of a gang of Eastern European criminals.

According to the report, although the thieves “reportedly made off with devices including laptops, phones, and a USB drive,” they were not able to steal any of his cryptocurrency.

Real-life crypto attacks are becoming more rampant these days. Earlier this year, a student at Canterbury Christ Church University in England was robbed of £6,000 ($8,098) worth of Bitcoin at knifepoint when eight thugs invaded his dormitory. Also in Langley, a 24-year-old was recently arrested for stealing a Bitcoin ATM from a business.

There have been several other similar reports in Hong Kong and even New Zealand.