umors have long swirled around the disappearance of Ruja Ignatova, the CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency OneCoin, who vanished without a trace in 2017 after amassing over $4 billion from investors worldwide in her alleged ponzi scheme. However, a recent BBC investigation has uncovered troubling new leads that provide possible answers to her whereabouts.
The Rise and Fall of OneCoin
Founded in 2014, OneCoin bills itself as a revolutionary new digital currency that would rival Bitcoin. However, many financial experts quickly declared it a fraud due to its non-transparent blockchain and lack of real value or trading ability. Nonetheless, Ignatova charismatically convinced thousands to invest,especially targeting developing nations where less was known about cryptocurrencies. She styled herself as a cryptocurrency messiah named "Cryptoqueen" while living lavishly off investment funds.
By 2016, authorities in several countries were actively investigating OneCoin. That's when reports state Ignatova disappeared abroad in October 2017 while heading to a business meeting. Her bodyguard also vanished, fueling speculation of foul play. Her brother Konstantin was later arrested for fraud in the U.S. in 2019 related to OneCoin. However, Ignatova herself eluded capture, joining the FBI's most wanted list with an outstanding warrant for wire fraud.
New Links to Bulgarian Underworld
The BBC investigation reveals Ignatova had close personal ties to a shadowy figure named Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis, commonly known as "Taki." He is alleged to be one of Bulgaria's biggest drug kingpins, believed to run heroin and cocaine networks. Intriguingly, Taki acted as Ignatova's main bodyguard and security, despite his notorious criminal reputation. She paid him a hefty monthly salary of €100,000 for his services.
Former Bulgarian deputy minister and police sources stated that only someone with Taki's influence could protect Ignatova from numerous investigations targeting OneCoin. More disturbing proof emerged that shortly before her disappearance, property records showed that assets owned by Ignatova were quietly transferred to Taki's known associates.
Murder on the High Seas?
In a final chilling twist, the investigative journalist received a leaked police report from 2022 containing a bombshell claim. It stated Taki's brother-in-law drunkenly confessed to hearing that Taki personally ordered Ignatova killed in late 2018 due to her becoming a liability. He further revealed her body was dismembered and dumped at sea from one of Taki's yachts.
While Ignatova's fate remains unconfirmed without a body, this alarming testimony suggests the possibility Bulgaria's top crime boss, who greatly profited from OneCoin's money laundering, saw her as a threat and orchestrated her gruesome murder. Officials still can not charge Taki due to lacking hard proof, but these mafia-level allegations open a grim window into the sinister underworld Ruja Ignatova may have become entangled with after amassing her illicit cryptocurrency fortune.
