Ukrainian blogger staged her own kidnapping for a 5 BTC ransom

Kharkiv-based Instagram blogger Kateryna Yakimenko, known by the handle tigra, staged her own kidnapping to obtain a ransom from a sponsor in Russia. This was reported by Newsroom, citing sources in law enforcement.

In cahoots with a friend from Kyiv, Yakimenko organised the disappearance, intending to demand 5 BTC (more than $173,000) for her return.

Her friend reported to the police that Kateryna Yakimenko had stopped making contact. There they opened a criminal case under Article 115, “Intentional Murder,” with the note “missing.”

During the investigation, investigators established that during the “kidnapping” Yakimenko’s car was in Kyiv; she herself frequented Kyiv’s restaurants and paid with her bank card. She also attempted to rent a luxury car at one of Kyiv’s showrooms.

On Monday, 5 July, Kateryna Yakimenko and her Kyiv-based friend were detained and transported to one of Kharkiv’s investigative pre-trial detention facilities.

Police opened a criminal proceeding for knowingly false reporting of a crime. The court remanded Yakimenko in custody with bail set at 3 million hryvnias.

Earlier an unknown person demanded 0.5 BTC, threatening to blow up the Kyiv administration.

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