What is known about the abduction of the Anorbank founder in France?

An Uzbek banker spoke about his abduction in Paris. Kahramonjon Olimov is the founder of Anorbank; according to him, the organization manages assets worth more than $1 billion. On June 21, the banker arrived in Paris, where he met a 25-year-old woman. According to Olimov, two days after having lunch together, he was seized by three men. One of the kidnappers, according to the victim, turned out to be a previously familiar "criminal mastermind," that is, a criminal who had previously worked with Olimov’s former partner in the banking business. Olimov was demanded a $10 million ransom, he was beaten for a long time, a hanging was staged, he was threatened with having his finger cut off, with rape, and a video was recorded in which he, half-naked, apologized "for everything he had done".

As a result, Olimov paid $200,000, and after leaving a promissory note for $5 million, he was released. In Paris, Olimov went to the police. According to the France correspondent for "Ъ FM", an investigation is underway: “Recently, Olimov has been involved in a project to build a gas power plant in southern Uzbekistan. In this project, he worked with France. Perhaps it was precisely for this project, and also to finalize a real estate purchase, that Olimov arrived in Paris. He informed only a narrow circle about his visit, not announcing it publicly.

On the very first day, in the hotel bar, an unknown woman approached Olimov. She spoke Russian and English. She said she worked in a beauty salon in Turkey, was dressed in expensive brands — a Louis Vuitton jacket, a Tiffany bracelet. A few days after this acquaintance, Anastasia suggested having lunch at a restaurant. And soon after this meeting, Olimov was abducted. He was first taken to a house on the outskirts of Paris, then toward Nice. There, in the basement of a villa, the businessman spent almost two days: he was beaten, threatened with murder, and even an execution was staged. According to Olimov, one of the kidnappers spoke to him in Uzbek, the other with a strong Caucasian accent. The first clue in this case is a video recording from the hotel cameras where you can see a woman named Anastasia. The police assume that at least five people participated in the operation. The abduction occurred just a few hundred meters from the Champs-Élysées, which caused great concern.”

According to the victim, the kidnapper continues to send threats via Telegram. But after contacting the police, the victim says, the kidnapper began to call it a "joke". The banker himself has already returned to Tashkent and hired a personal bodyguard. According to The Wall Street Journal, recently there has been a whole series of abductions of cryptocurrency company owners and their relatives around the world. Dozens of cases have been recorded in different countries, including Estonia, the USA, and France. Russian businessmen have also begun to turn to security services more often, notes Anton Minaev, the founder of the security service "Yedinstvo": “Those who deal with cryptocurrency often make their activities public to attract investment. When a person's reputation and financial standing increase, they must reconsider the security of their movements.

Young people are often active in this field, they "flare up like stars", and it becomes unsafe. It is impossible to take a bodyguard abroad with a weapon, but if necessary, a bodyguard can accompany without a weapon, or local services can be used. If there have been threats, a larger security group should be hired. If only escort is needed, two trusted people are enough.”

However, personal security is not the only method. Russian crypto investors use other ways to protect themselves, says Oleg Abelev, head of the analytics department at "Rikom-Trust": “Among those working with cryptocurrency and international transactions, this issue has become even more relevant. Due to the anonymity of payments and the difficulty of tracking crypto transactions, criminals are more likely to target crypto investors. In addition, risks have appeared in countries that were previously considered safe. If earlier the threat of kidnapping was associated with Latin America or the Middle East, now such incidents are occurring in the CIS and EU countries. New abduction schemes have appeared: criminals not only track victims, but also use social networks and crypto exchange insiders.

The issues of hiring personal security, especially in high-risk countries, cybersecurity and preventing data leaks are receiving more attention. Even kidnapping insurance for a person and their family is being actively discussed. Some international companies have recently started offering such insurance products. All this is happening against the backdrop of the last nine or ten months.

People are even abandoning geolocation tags on social networks, and when traveling, are using phones without banking applications.”

According to Le Monde, on July 1, a Turkish citizen was detained in Nice on suspicion of "kidnapping as part of an organized crime group". Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!