A student was subjected to torture in an attempt to access his father’s cryptocurrency wealth before being forced into the back seat of his family’s Mercedes and allegedly set on fire.
The victim, identified as 21-year-old Danilo Kuzmin, a student in Vienna, was reportedly attacked in an underground parking garage at the upscale Sofitel Hotel. One of the assailants was believed to be a fellow student from Ukraine whom he had trusted with information.
Danilo had disclosed details about his father, Sergey Kuzmin, who holds significant cryptocurrency assets as the deputy mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine. Investigators suspect that he was assaulted and coerced to reveal access codes to his two cryptocurrency accounts during a violent ordeal that lasted several hours.
After being tortured, Danilo was taken to the Donaustadt district in Vienna, where the car he was in was set ablaze with him inside, as reported by the Krone news website in Austria. The incident was allegedly orchestrated to exploit his family’s wealth after he fled from a conflict zone.
The tragic event bears resemblance to the recent double murder of a Russian couple involved in cryptocurrency in Dubai. Forensic analysis indicated that Danilo suffered extensive burns, with approximately 80% of his body affected, along with severe blunt force injuries and dental damage.
Authorities were alerted to Danilo’s disappearance after receiving reports from his family and close contacts. The investigation led to the identification and subsequent arrest of two Ukrainian suspects, aged 19 and 45, who were apprehended in Ukraine shortly after Danilo’s body was discovered.
Collaboration between Ukrainian authorities and Europol facilitated the apprehension of the suspects, who were reported to have links to the victim through academic connections at the same university.
Surveillance footage from the hotel’s parking area captured the moment when several individuals surrounded Danilo before a disturbance ensued, leading to the discovery of blood traces in the vicinity afterward.
Investigators recovered evidence, including a gasoline-scented melted canister in the car, despite it being powered by diesel fuel. The autopsy revealed extensive burns on Danilo’s body, indicating a violent demise with signs of physical assault.
Police stated that the victim met a violent end, with the car intentionally set on fire using an accelerant, possibly to conceal the crime. Emergency services discovered his remains after extinguishing the flames, ruling out mechanical failure due to the presence of petrol in the diesel-operated vehicle.
The investigation revealed that one of the suspects purchased petrol before the incident, as captured by CCTV footage from a local station. The Ukrainian authorities have expressed intentions to retain jurisdiction over the case rather than extraditing the suspects to Austria.
Allegations suggest that significant amounts were siphoned from Danilo’s family cryptocurrency accounts around the time of the attack, while one of the detained individuals was found in possession of a substantial sum in US dollars.
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