Crypto heist gang attacked man and threatened to kill his pregnant wife

A robbery victim has told of how a masked gang threatened to kill his pregnant wife and forced him to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency.

Crimestoppers offered a £10,000 reward and appealed for information after the young couple, who do not want to be identified, were targeted in their home in Solihull, West Midlands, on December 13 last year.

Three men armed with hammers got out of a car and forced their way into the property after the victims returned home.

One of the victims - who quit his job in 2023 to become a full time crypto trader - has since told of how he and his wife were beaten during the 45-minute ordeal.

He said the three men were assisted by another man on a video call who was giving instructions.

"I can hear the guy on FaceTime saying, 'show me everything on his phone, show me what apps he's got'," he told the BBC.

"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'."

He said one of the men put a pillow over his wife's face: "He's literally suffocating her on the sofa. I can hear her screaming, 'I can't breathe'."

Several Rolex watches were taken from the home and the man suffered significant injuries.

West Midlands Police said the female victim was also threatened with a knife.

Crimestoppers said the three men left the area in a car believed to be a black BMW X3.

They are all believed to be in their twenties, with one described as a black man with a small diagonal scar beneath his left eyebrow.

Read more from Sky News:

Hero Flydubai captain tells of cockpit fight with co-pilot
'Integrity of game' at stake, says FA after Man City guilty verdicts

Alan Edwards, Crimestoppers' West Midlands regional manager, said: "This was a young family, at home, weeks away from welcoming a new baby.

"We understand that speaking up about something like this feels daunting. That's precisely why our charity exists. 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. In nearly 40 years we have never broken that promise.

"If this has been sitting with you, please pass it on to us to help keep our communities safe. You can help this family without ever saying who you are."

(c) Sky News 2026: Crypto heist gang attacked man and threatened to kill his pregnant wife