Monero Demanded in Ransom for Kidnapped Norwegian Woman

By Swati Kishore

A wealthy Norwegian businessman’s wife went missing in a suspected kidnapping attempt. In a mysterious turn of the events, unnamed sources have revealed that the family of the victim has now received a demand for ransom to be paid in digital currency Monero.

68-year-old Anne-Elisabeth, the wife of the Norway-based real estate businessman, Tom Hagen, was reported missing on October 31, 2018.

The police have claimed that the news of her disappearance was not revealed before and that they are unable to ascertain whether the woman in question is still alive. The family has been advised by the police to not pay the ransom demanded by the perpetrators.

At a press conference, Police Inspector, Tommy Broeske revealed further,

“There has been demand for ransom, and serious threats have been made in this case. As things now stand, we advise the family not to pay.”

While unnamed sources have revealed that the criminals have furnished a ransom demand of as much as USD 10 million in exchange for the release of the victim, the police have denied commenting. The source also revealed that the perpetrators want that the ransom is paid in the cryptocurrency Monero.

The lawyer Svein Holden has said that the family is deeply affected by this ‘inhumane and cruel act of crime’. He further explained,

“We hope that by going public, contact will be established and that the family gets confirmation that all is well with Anne-Elisabeth…If we do, they are prepared to start a process that could lead to her return.”

Holden has not commented on whether the said process will result in the payment of the ransom demanded by the culprits.

Kapital, a business magazine has revealed that the net worth of the victim’s husband, Tom Hagen, is estimated to be USD 200 million.

Interestingly, Norway is reported to have very low crime rates, thus, such a kidnapping for cryptocurrency comes across as quite a shock.