India | IT giant threatened by Bitcoin extortion

According to local media reports, last Friday, Bangalore-based IT giant Wipro received a ransom email in which an attacker demanded that he transfer 500 million rupees ($777 million) to his account in Bitcoin before May 25. He also threatened to attack the company's campus if his demands were not met.

Investigation ongoing

"After receiving an anonymous threatening letter, our company has filed a complaint with local law enforcement authorities," the company said in a statement.

"We have increased security measures in all office areas. This has no impact on the company's business. The investigation is ongoing and we have no further comment."

The "attack" method mentioned in the anonymous ransom note appears to be mixing samples of ricin into Wipro's food and toilet facilities. Ricin is a naturally occurring toxic substance produced by castor oil plants, which can kill adults in very small doses after purification.

According to local news NDTV, the email also stated that a two-gram sample of ricin would be couriered to Wipro in the coming days.

Although a similar case occurred in 2013 and was later found to be a scam, such media reports will cast a shadow on the image of Bitcoin in the minds of the Indian public, as some parties are already skeptical about Bitcoin.