A robbery victim has told how a hammer-wielding masked gang forced him to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency after threatening to kill his pregnant wife.
Crimestoppers put up a £10,000 reward last month after the young couple, who do not wish to be identified, were attacked in their home in the Smith’s Wood area of Solihull, West Midlands.
The couple, who were expecting their third child, were attacked after returning home at around 5.20pm on Saturday December 13 last year.
As they opened their front door, three men got out of a car parked nearby and forced their way into the house behind them.
In what police believe may have been a planned and targeted attack, the men demanded that the couple transfer cryptocurrency, with instructions relayed by a fourth offender on a video call.
Describing how he was beaten during a 45-minute ordeal, the man told the BBC one offender put a pillow over his wife’s face, adding: “He’s literally suffocating her on the sofa. I can hear her screaming: ‘I can’t breathe.'”
He said of the man communicating with the robbers on a video-call: “I can hear the guy on FaceTime saying: ‘Show me everything on his phone. Show me what apps he’s got.’
“He was basically saying: ‘Look, if you don’t send us this money now, we’re going to stab your wife in the stomach and kill your baby. We’re going to kill your wife.'”
Several Rolex watches were also taken from the home of the victim, who told BBC he was an amateur investor in crypto coins who made enough money to quit his job in 2023 to trade full time.
“They threatened my wife and my baby,” the man, who suffered significant injuries, added. “People need to understand these risks are real.”
In a statement issued late last month alongside CCTV of the attackers entering the property, Crimestoppers said the offenders left the area in a car believed to be a black BMW X3.
All are attackers are thought to be their twenties, with one described as a black man with a small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow.
West Midlands Police is investigating the robbery and has said the female victim was also threatened with a knife.
Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information given exclusively to the charity that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Information can be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through its website.
Alan Edwards, Crimestoppers’ West Midlands regional manager, said: “This was a young family, at home, weeks away from welcoming a new baby.
“We understand that speaking up about something like this feels daunting. That’s precisely why our charity exists. We are not the police. We never ask for your name, we can’t trace your IP address, and you will never be asked to give a statement or go to court. In nearly 40 years we have never broken that promise.
“If this has been sitting with you, please pass it on to us to help keep our communities safe. You can help this family without ever saying who you are.”
