Kidnappers of 8-year-old in Karnataka demand Rs 17 crore in Bitcoins

Kidnappers of an eight-year-old boy in Karnataka have demanded 100 bitcoins, which comes to about approximately Rs 17 crore, as ransom money from the boy’s family and have also given instructions on how to execute the same.

The boy, Anubhav, was kidnapped while playing in front of his house in Ujire taluk of Mangaluru district on Thursday. His father Bijoy and grandfather AK Shivan are said to be prominent businessmen in the city.

After the family approached the police, the kidnappers have reduced the ransom demand to 60 bitcoins (approx Rs 10 crore), but threatened the family with dire consequences for having approached the police. A special investigative team set up by Dakshina Kannada SP BM Lakshmi Prasad traced the origin of the new ransom message from a cell tower in Hassan district of Karnataka.