Crypto Forum Moderator Claims Kidnapping Attempt to Steal His Bitcoin

The Canadian man, who was not named to protect the identity of his children, said police told him they couldn't keep his family safe and they should relocate

A crypto forum moderator in Canada has been forced into hiding with his family after falling victim to an alleged kidnapping and torture attempt over claims that he owns millions of BTC.

According to a report by La Presse on Monday, the incident began in early November 2024 when two masked men approached the man’s home in a suspicious manner. The men fled after the victim closed the door on them.

Days later, the man spotted hooded suspects in a car near his house while he was taking his daughter to daycare. The man found himself behind the vehicle on a main road and was on the phone to the police when the car suddenly swerved.

The driver of the vehicle approached him, then another pointed a handgun at him, prompting him to use pepper spray in self-defense, he said.

Two adults and two juveniles were arrested on charges of conspiracy to kidnap and possession of prohibited firearms, with police reports and release orders supporting the case, the media outlet reported.

However, the alleged attackers, who have no criminal record, were released under house arrest pending trial in March, leaving the family fearing for their safety.

The man, who was not named to protect the identity of his children, told La Presse that the attackers had “equipment to torture [him],” including a 2 foot by 2 foot tarp with a hole in the middle and claws around it, “to cut off a limb and stop the bleeding.”

“It’s incredibly violent,” he said.

The family has been apparently living off savings and moving from one Airbnb to another since the incident.

A Sûreté du Québec police spokesperson told the outlet that it is “part of police work to meet victims and explain to them that we cannot ensure their safety 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” without commenting directly on the matter.

The bail decision surprised University of Montreal criminologist Chloé Leclerc, La Presse reported. However, the deputy director of the International Center for Comparative Criminology said that house arrest of suspects is a fairly restrictive condition of release.

In the Canadian criminal justice system, where the presumption of innocence prevails, incarceration while awaiting trial should, in principle, be the exception, she added.