BALINEWSID.COM, DENPASAR – A 41-year-old Russian national has reported an alleged kidnapping and assault in Bali, claiming he was held captive for approximately 30 hours and forced to surrender access to his cryptocurrency accounts. The Bali Police are currently investigating the case.

The victim, identified as Artem Ivanov (41), a Russian entrepreneur residing at Villa Ukulele in Pecatu, South Kuta, Badung Regency, filed a report after the alleged incident.

According to the report, the incident began on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at around 9:35 p.m. local time, when Ivanov was driving home from his workplace at Hedonist Restaurant. While traveling along Uluwatu Road near Belimbing Road in Pecatu, his vehicle was reportedly intercepted by a black car.

Bali Police spokesperson Senior Commissioner Ariasandy said two masked men allegedly handcuffed the victim with plastic restraints, covered his head, and forced him into another vehicle.

“The victim stated that two masked suspects handcuffed him using plastic restraints and covered his head before taking him away,” Ariasandy told reporters on Thursday (July 9).

According to the victim’s statement, he was taken to a two-story house containing a room resembling a detention cell, where he was allegedly held for around 30 hours. During the captivity, he claimed he was repeatedly kicked and beaten until he disclosed the password to his cryptocurrency account.

“Based on the victim’s account, he suffered physical violence, including being kicked and punched, which forced him to hand over the password to his crypto account,” Ariasandy said.

The suspects allegedly also stole the victim’s Xiaomi mobile phone and took the key to his villa from the dashboard of his motorcycle. Police believe the key was later used to enter Villa Ukulele and seize another mobile phone containing access to the victim’s cryptocurrency accounts.

The victim said he was released at approximately 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, near Udayana University Hospital on Prabu Udayana Street in Jimbaran. He immediately sought medical treatment at the hospital’s emergency department.

Police have launched an extensive investigation by interviewing witnesses and processing multiple crime scenes, including Hedonist Restaurant, the alleged abduction site, the victim’s villa, and the location where he was released.

Investigators identified a black Nissan Serena as the vehicle believed to have been used by the suspects.

Police said no CCTV cameras covered the alleged abduction site because it is located on a narrow and quiet road. Meanwhile, surveillance cameras at the victim’s villa were reportedly offline due to a power outage caused by a water pump short circuit, which also disrupted electricity and internet service at the time of the incident.

As part of the investigation, detectives have collected cell dump data from four locations to trace the movement of the victim’s mobile phones through nearby cellular base stations. They are also analyzing CCTV footage from the area surrounding Udayana University Hospital and tracking the movements of the suspected Nissan Serena to locate the alleged detention site.

“The investigation is still ongoing. We will provide further updates as the case develops,” Ariasandy said.

Police have not announced any suspects, and the allegations remain under investigation.