A German report claims fugitive Ruja Ignatova, the “Cryptoqueen,” is alive and living in a wealthy Cape Town neighborhood in South Africa.
Ignatova’s Family Shows No Signs of Mourning
Fugitive Ruja Ignatova, as known as the Cryptoqueen and founder of Onecoin, is alive and currently residing in an affluent part of Cape Town, South Africa, a report by the German publication Der Spiegel has asserted. The bombshell news, if true, contradicts claims that Ignatova was murdered, dismembered, and sunk in the Ionian Sea in 2018.
According to the Der Spiegel report, German authorities, who have been investigating Ignatova and her fellow conspirators in the Onecoin scam, concluded that she is alive after finding gaps in the evidence implicating her former security chief. As reported by several media outlets, including Bitcoin.com News in February 2023, Ignatova was believed to have been murdered at the behest of Bulgarian drug lord Christophoros Amanatidis.
However, in an upcoming documentary, German authorities challenge this theory by pointing to evidence that shows Ignatova’s alleged killer was in Dutch custody when the “murder” was committed. Commenting on this discovery, Sabine Dässel, spokesperson for the German criminal investigation unit LKA Düsseldorf, said:
“We assume or work with the hypothesis that Ruja Ignatova is still alive. This is also supported by the reactions within her family, with whom Ignatova always maintained close contact. The daughter and sister are not mourned by their family members, so there is apparently no knowledge of Ruja Ignatova’s death within the family. There is no murder. She is alive, period,” Dässel is quoted as saying in the report.
Cryptoqueen Hiding in Heavily Guarded South African Suburb
The spokesperson also claimed that LKA Düsseldorf had received clues suggesting Ignatova was in South Africa. The team of German filmmaker Johan von Mirbach, who is making a documentary on Ignatova, claims to have received a tip on her whereabouts from sources in South African security circles.
Meanwhile, as explained in the report, German authorities also appear to be relying on the testimony of former Onecoin employee Duncan Arthur, who vehemently rejects assertions that Ignatova is dead. According to Arthur, Ignatova had remained in touch with her brother Konstantin well past her presumed murder date.
Furthermore, Konstantin’s reported trips to Cape Town in 2018 have raised speculation that he had gone there to meet up with his sister. However, according to the Der Spiegel report, verifying claims that Ignatova is indeed alive may prove difficult because Ignatova’s alleged place of residence is guarded by heavily armed private security firms.