Masked intruders assault pregnant homeowner and steal crypto in brutal home robbery
A man in Solihull was beaten with hammers and his heavily pregnant wife threatened while thieves forced him to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency.
In a December home invasion in Solihull, three masked men forced their way inside, striking the homeowner with hammers for roughly 45 minutes while his wife, seven months pregnant, was restrained on a sofa with a pillow over her face. The attackers, directed by a person on a FaceTime call, demanded the victim reveal his cryptocurrency holdings and threatened to stab the wife and kill the unborn child unless the money was transferred.
The victim complied, sending hundreds of thousands of pounds in crypto to a wallet shown by the caller, after which the assailants left in a getaway car and also took several Rolex watches. The incident was captured on security cameras and is being investigated by police, with Crimestoppers offering a £10,000 reward for leads. Experts describe the crime as a "wrench attack," part of a growing trend of violent thefts targeting crypto owners.
Why it matters
The case highlights the rising danger of violent "wrench attacks" aimed at cryptocurrency holders and the challenges of protecting digital assets.
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