When Norwegian millionaire Tom Hagen reported that his married woman had been kidnapped in October 2022, included was a ransom notation demanding $x million worth of the cryptocurrency Monero.

Now, afterward Hagen'southward arrest past local authorities on April 28 on suspicion for the murder of Anne-Elisabeth Hagen, it seems as if the ransom demand could have simply been a way to encompass upwardly the crime.

The case has gripped the nation and Reuters reported on April 29 that Police Lawyer Aase Kjustad Eriksson told a news conference that, later on an xviii calendar month investigation, the police have now had "reason to doubtable Tom Hagen of murder or conspiracy for murder".

He has not however been charged with the criminal offence. Nevertheless, Police force Inspector Tommy Broeske said: "there was no kidnapping, no real negotiating counterpart or real negotiations. There are indications of a will [sic] to sidetrack [the investigation]."

Hagen's lawyer said he denied whatever involvement.

$10M Monero in ransom

As one of the richest people in Norway, Hagen is worth roughly $161 million. It's unknown exactly how much he has invested in Bitcoin (BTC) or other digital avails. His wife, Anne-Elisabeth, was reported missing from their home most Oslo on October 31, 2022.

Despite the plow in this case, there take been instances in which cryptocurrency has been paid for a kidnapping bribe. In January, Singaporean Mark Cheng was taken earnest in Thailand and tortured for a $740,000 BTC ransom. He transferred $46,000 before managing to escape.