A Bitcoin trader and his partner are in hiding after four masked men stormed his country barn and robbed him of £800,000 of the crypto currency.
Danny Aston, 30, and his partner Amy Jay, 31, were forced to flee their home in Mouslford, Oxfordshire a week ago after the men tracked him down and robbed him of approximately 10 coins which are held in a Bitcoin digital wallet.
According to Mailonline, the gunmen kicked down the door of the property in the small hamlet which is known as a location in the popular television show Midsomer Murders.
Witnesses told police that the men jumped a fence before entering their couple’s private driveway.
They had been spotted by a member of the public who was on the school run.
School children on high alert over Bitcoin robbery
Teachers and children at Cranford House Prepatory School were put on high alert following the disturbing incident which is being described as Britain’s first heist.
A teacher told the Mail: “We were all told to get down on the floor and stay in the middle of the schoolroom. All the curtains were closed and the doors locked.
“No-one knew what was going on but it was scary to say the least.”
A Thames Valley Police spokesman confirmed the incident happened just after school had begun for the day.
A spokesman said: “Officers were called at about 9.40am to a report that offenders had entered a residential property off Reading Road and threatened the occupants. No one was seriously injured during the incident.
“Officers are particularly interested in speaking to anyone travelling through the village on the A329 Reading Road between 7.30am and 10.30am on Monday who has dashcam footage, or anyone with mobile-phone footage.
“The investigation is in its early stages, however initial inquiries suggest this may be a targeted incident.”
Anonymous ownership issues
It is unknown what happened when the armed gang entered the home of the young couple or how they accessed their digital wallets – though witnesses say they held a baby in a pram outside the door of the couple’s home.
The anonymity of the ownership of Bitcoin due to the complex cryptology behind the transaction will make it impossible to trace.
Last week British Prime Minister Theresa May signalled she is to look at criminal activity surrounding bitcoin and other anonymous crypto currencies.
She said: “We should be looking at these very seriously.
“Precisely because of the way they can be used, particularly by criminals… so that is something that has been developing, obviously increasingly developing. I think it’s something we do need to look at.”