A £10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a robbery in which a masked gang allegedly forced a man to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency after threatening to kill his pregnant wife and their unborn baby.
The young couple, who do not wish to be identified, were attacked at their home in the Smith’s Wood area of Solihull, West Midlands. They were expecting their third child at the time.
According to the report, the couple returned home at around 5.20pm on Saturday December 13 last year. As they opened the front door, three men got out of a nearby parked car and forced their way into the property behind them.
Police believe the attack may have been planned and targeted. The offenders demanded that the couple transfer cryptocurrency, with instructions relayed by a fourth person during a video call.
The male victim told the BBC that he was beaten during a 45-minute ordeal. He said one offender put a pillow over his wife’s face while she was on the sofa.
“He’s literally suffocating her on the sofa. I can hear her screaming: ‘I can’t breathe,’” he said.
He also described hearing the person on the video call tell the attackers to examine his phone and identify the applications installed on it.
“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,’” the victim said.
Several Rolex watches were also taken from the home. The victim said he was an amateur investor in crypto coins and had made enough money to leave his job in 2023 and trade full time.
“They threatened my wife and my baby,” he said, adding that he suffered significant injuries. “People need to understand these risks are real.”
Crimestoppers said in a statement issued late last month that the offenders left the area in a car believed to be a black BMW X3. The charity released CCTV showing the attackers entering the property and announced a reward of up to £10,000 for information provided exclusively to it that leads to arrests and convictions.
The attackers are thought to be in their twenties. One is described as a Black man with a small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow.
West Midlands Police is investigating the robbery. Police have said the female victim was also threatened with a knife.
Alan Edwards, Crimestoppers’ West Midlands regional manager, said the victims were a young family who were at home only weeks before they were due to welcome a new baby.
“We understand that speaking up about something like this feels daunting. That’s precisely why our charity exists,” Edwards said. “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.”
He said the charity had kept that promise in nearly 40 years and urged anyone with information to report it anonymously.
Information can be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through its website.
