Bali Police Investigate Kidnapping and Crypto Theft of Russian National

The Bali Regional Police are investigating a kidnapping case involving a Russian citizen in the South Kuta area of Badung District. The victim, identified by the initials AI, was allegedly held captive and abused for nearly 30 hours before being released.

According to Senior Commissioner Ariasandy, the Head of Public Relations at the Bali Police, the incident occurred on July 2 when AI was returning from the Hedonist Restaurant to a villa in Pecatu Village. Two masked perpetrators appeared in a black Nissan Serena and handcuffed the victim's hands before forcing them into the car.

The perpetrators took AI to a building where they were suspected of being held captive, where the victim was intimidated, beaten, and kicked for nearly 30 hours. The violence was allegedly carried out to force the victim to hand over the password for their crypto asset account, as well as steal their Xiaomi cellphone and another phone with access to the crypto account.

The perpetrators released AI early on Saturday (July 4) in front of Udayana University Hospital in Jimbaran. The victim then immediately went to the emergency room for medical treatment.