A crypto trader and entrepreneur hailing from Bulgaria, named Alexander Altunbashev, seems to have disappeared rather mysteriously. His whereabouts are unknown since last Monday, which has pushed law enforcement officials to consider the possibility of an abduction. However, there are also speculators in the local crypto community who believe it is possible that he could have gone into hiding in order to get away from disgruntled investors. Earlier this week, the businessman seems to have gone missing and Bulgarian police are now looking into the 32-year-old’s disappearance. According to media reports, the man is an IT specialist, who took advantage of crypto trading to make money.
Prosecutors in Sofia are exploring the possibility of a kidnapping behind the reason for his sudden disappearance. Media reports said that Teodora, who is Alexander’s sister, had spoken to him before he left for the second-largest city in Bulgaria i.e. Plovdiv. He rode with his sister on Monday to the Mladost district in Sofia. Teodora revealed that they both live next to each other. Later on Monday, she had spotted a man unlocking her brother’s apartment next door and entering it. She had obviously questioned the man about who he was and what he was up to.
However, the man did not give any explanation and said he was in a hurry. He then got into an SUV where a female driver was already waiting for him. According to investigators, when they checked out Alexander’s apartment, it had been turned upside down. They suspect that whoever searched his apartment had been looking to find something to access his crypto wallets and his bank accounts. Teodora said that the last time she had managed to make contact with her brother on the phone, he had told her that he was on his way to Burgas. This is located on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria.
She decided to reach out to the police because she was unable to contact Alexander again, as his phone was switched off, and this was atypical behavior for him. The police also spoke to Kristina, who is Alexander’s girlfriend, but she seems to be clueless about any issues with his business contacts, or any threats he may have received. The crypto trader had last used his cell phone just outside of Sofia. His last call had been to a man named IvayloBorisov, who is Alexander’s close friend, but has a criminal record.
Borisov is cooperating with law enforcement authorities and revealed that Alexander was supposed to meet him on Monday, but he hadn’t turned up. The crypto community, on the other hand, is speculating that there is a possibility that Alexander could have gone into hiding, as he might have lost the funds invested on behalf of clients. The crypto market recently saw a slump that resulted in prominent cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereumdecline by almost 50% since their all-time high values. Likewise, a number of other renowned crypto projects also collapsed. Media reports indicate that Alexander had made millions in 2021 and had boasted about it to his friends.