Search Continues for Suspect in Murder of Businessman Vladimir Yankov After Fatal House Fire in Bankya

The search continues for the perpetrator of the murder of businessman Vladimir Yankov, whose burned body was found after an intentionally started fire at his home. A second inspection of the scene was carried out on July 29. The Prosecutor’s office is investigating a premeditated murder. The Ministry of the Interior has so far made no comment on the case.

• Sofia Prosecutors Investigate Businessman's Death in Bankya as Suspected Murder

According to sources close to the investigation, the 56-year-old businessman spent his final hours at a luxury restaurant in the Boyana district, where he had a meeting with a well-known Bulgarian gymnast. He left alone and was driven to Bankya by friends, who dropped him off near his home. Investigators believe the perpetrator may have studied the businessman's habits, as there was no domestic staff at the house during the weekend. In addition, Yankov was not using security protection at the time. What exactly happened inside the house remains unclear.

According to national security expert Assoc. Prof. Milen Ivanov, footage from the property's security cameras will be crucial to the investigation.

Assoc. Prof. Milen Ivanov, national security expert and former deputy rector of the Ministry of Interior Academy: "When such a system is built, all entrances and exits and all areas that need to be monitored are taken into account. This is a professionally designed system that records in high resolution. If no suspected individual is identified on the cameras, the likelihood that this was a pre-planned murder becomes very high."

One of the leading theories so far is that the businessman was killed in order to gain access to a large amount of cryptocurrency. Unofficially, Yankov was interested in bitcoin investments and is believed to have held a cryptocurrency wallet worth several million euros. According to sources close to the investigation, there were signs of violence on his body.

Assoc. Prof. Milen Ivanov: "It is very important to establish whether the phone or laptop he used remained in the house, because access to crypto assets is obtained through such electronic devices. It is difficult to trace if someone else used his access password, if he had disclosed it. There is no personal identification there. There is only identification through the certificate."

Despite his long-standing business activity, Yankov rarely appeared in public and was not known for involvement in scandals or conflicts.