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Islamabad: Renowned Pakistani real estate pioneer Malik Riaz has reportedly received a alerting email demanding a ransom of 50 Bitcoins, coupled with grave threats to his and his family’s lives if the demand is not met.
Colonel (retd) Khalil Ur Rehman, Riaz’s security officer, filed an official report regarding the threat at the Aabpara police station in Islamabad against an unknown sender.
According to the First Information Report, the threat email was sent on January 12 at 4:15 PM and requested payment of 50 Bitcoins worth more than PKR 1.42 billion. Riaz received a clear warning in his message, threatening grave consequences for him and his family if he did not pay the ransom amount.
The email also mentioned that Riaz’s relatives, including his son Ahmed Ali, reside in Gulf countries and the West. It stated, “If you want to save these family members’ lives, transfer 50 Bitcoin to the given address, otherwise, the mujahideen of Tehrik are not far from your drawing rooms.”
The FIR further said that an unidentified person went to the neighbourhood where Malik Riaz’s daughter lives, which is also the house where he lives, after the sending of the threatening email. The suspect allegedly captured photographs and videos of the premises, thereby eliciting apprehensions regarding security. Surveillance footage recorded an individual documenting the residence, resulting in considerable distress for the occupants of the household.
Despite the email seemingly being dispatched from Switzerland, investigators are of the opinion that the ransom demand, coupled with the reconnaissance of Riaz’s residence, suggests that the email most likely originated from Pakistan.
