Wife of millionaire in crypto kidnap
The wife of one of Norway’s richest men has been abducted, with the kidnappers demanding an €9 million (NZ$15m) ransom in cryptocurrency.
Tom Hagen came home on October 31 to find his wife Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen, 68, missing and a ransom note threatening to kill her unless he made the payment.
Insp Tommy Broske, leading the investigation, said: ‘‘Police have so far advised the family not to meet the requirements.’’
Hagen, also 68, made €174 million(NZ$296m) from a power supply company he founded, ranking him 172nd on Norway’s rich list. It is the country’s first known kidnap for a crypto ransom.
Norwegian police yesterday lifted a publicity ban in the hope neighbours or people in the area may have seen or recorded something that could lead to the abductors. Broske said whoever kidnapped Mrs Hagen had made contact over ‘‘a digital platform’’ but had so far sent no proof that she was alive.
Hagen’s lawyer is Svein Holden, the prosecutor of Anders Breivik, the far-Right terrorist who murdered 77 people in Norway in 2011. Holden called on the kidnappers to contact the family.
‘‘The family wants to get in touch with those who have Anne-Elizabeth today. They want to get a confirmation that she is OK, and that she is alive,’’ he said.
‘‘If she is, the family is prepared to initiate a process to get her home safely.’’
Abductions for cryptoransoms have increased internationally since the first case was recorded in Costa Rica in 2015.
– Telegraph Group