A Thriller Gone Real: Alleged Scammer Kidnapped by Fake Police, Loses $50 Million

This article was published more than a year ago. Some information may no longer be current.

An individual wanted by Interpol, lost $50 million in a kidnapping that involved drugs, fake police officers, and a daring escape in Brazil. Rodrigo Perez was kidnapped on March 24 by fake police officers who kept him drugged and handcuffed to a bed for five days.

Fake Police Officers Kidnap Alleged Scammer in Brazil, Stealing $50 Million

In a case described by local media as worthy of a Hollywood movie, an individual was kidnapped by fake policemen in Brazil in order to steal his cryptocurrency stash. Rodrigo Perez, a Spanish businessman linked to several financial crimes in Paraguay and Ecuador, was detained by individuals using fake police uniforms on March 24 in São Paulo.

The fake policemen used an official-looking truck to transport the prisoner to a location used as a makeshift prison, where he was kept for five days, tied to a bed, drugged with sleeping pills, and subjected to harassment.

Perez managed to escape by gaining the trust of his captors. According to local media, he drugged the man assigned to watch him with the same sleeping drugs used on him.

However, when notifying authorities about his kidnapping, they discovered that Perez was indeed wanted by Interpol for his alleged participation in a series of crypto-linked schemes in Latin America. Perez told authorities that the kidnappers had taken close to $50 million in cryptocurrency from him.

Ronaldo Batista, a retired military policeman, was arrested when authorities raided the location where Perez was held. Batista confessed to his participation in Perez’s kidnapping, while the second kidnapper remains at large.

Authorities are not ruling out the possibility of gang involvement, given Perez’s alleged history of financial fraud. The fate of Perez after this kidnapping is uncertain, as authorities are still treating him as a victim but are also aware of his alleged participation in schemes in other countries.

Perez’s kidnapping marks an increase in the prevalence of $5 wrench attack cases in the crypto industry. This modus operandi has become more popular lately, as cryptocurrency has gone mainstream, and bad actors are increasingly aware of its existence.

Bitfinex Flags Bullish Bitcoin Price Signal on Weekly Super Trend Chart

The New RWA Meme Coin Meta Has TradFi CEOs Furious

Robinhood Tops Binance bStocks With 862,800 Holders in 2 Months

AMC CEO Demands Robinhood Halt Token Trading as Feud Erupts

Kalshi's SCOTUS Pregame: Wait for the CFTC to Rewrite the Rules

Are Memecoins Killing Crypto’s Next Bull Run?

Bitcoin Miners Are Pivoting to AI. What Happens to Bitcoin Mining?

Digital Sovereignty and the Global Race for Stablecoin Regulation

Is the Crypto Bull Run in Trouble? Fed Risk, Bitcoin & Saylor’s 840K BTC

Why Korea Blockchain Week 2026 Is Betting Big on Institutions

Bitcoin Price Rally Collapse Wipes Out $295M in Long Positions

Bitcoin Price Plunges From $82K as $78,000 Becomes the Line

XRP Branding Hits Florida Field in Reported $5M Annual Ripple Deal

Strategy: Bitcoin Would Have to Fall 83% for STRC to Hit 1x BTC Rating

Trezor Data Leak Spirals as 67,000 More US Buyers Get Exposed

Don’t Trust, Verify: Poisoned AI Links Expose a Nightmare for Crypto Workers

Brazil Deploys Crypto Alerts System to Neutralize Cyber Threats

Microsoft Warns of New USB-Based Malware Targeting Crypto Users

Trapdoor Malware: The Massive Supply Chain Attack Targeting Crypto Developers

Defillama Confirms April 2026 as Crypto's Most-Hacked Month With 30 Incidents

Human Error, Not Hacking, Cited as Top Cause for Crypto Access Loss