French police rescued the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur during a dramatic nighttime raid, after he was abducted in Paris and held for ransom, the latest in a growing trend of crypto-linked crime in France .
The man was kidnapped on Thursday morning in the capital, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Sunday. “The victim turned out to be the father of a man who made his fortune in cryptocurrencies, and the incident was accompanied by a ransom demand,” the office said. Authorities have not released the names of those involved.
Investigators managed to track the hostage to a house in the Essonne region, south of Paris, where elite officers launched a rescue mission on Saturday night. He was found injured and received medical treatment. French media outlets reported that one of his fingers had been cut off by the kidnappers.
Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the case. Four were found at or near the house where the victim was being held, while the fifth was detained while driving a vehicle believed to have been used during the abduction.
Prosecutors say the suspects could face multiple charges, including kidnapping “with torture or a barbaric act.”
This incident follows another high-profile crypto-related crime in January, when David Balland, co-founder of French crypto-wallet company Ledger, was kidnapped along with his wife in central France’s Cher region. The perpetrators reportedly demanded ransom in cryptocurrency from another Ledger co-founder.
Balland was freed the next day in a raid by France’s National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), with his wife rescued a day later, tied up in a vehicle.
Authorities have expressed concerns over organised crime targeting those linked to the growing digital asset industry.
The man was kidnapped on Thursday morning in the capital, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Sunday. “The victim turned out to be the father of a man who made his fortune in cryptocurrencies, and the incident was accompanied by a ransom demand,” the office said. Authorities have not released the names of those involved.
Investigators managed to track the hostage to a house in the Essonne region, south of Paris, where elite officers launched a rescue mission on Saturday night. He was found injured and received medical treatment. French media outlets reported that one of his fingers had been cut off by the kidnappers.
Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the case. Four were found at or near the house where the victim was being held, while the fifth was detained while driving a vehicle believed to have been used during the abduction.
Prosecutors say the suspects could face multiple charges, including kidnapping “with torture or a barbaric act.”
This incident follows another high-profile crypto-related crime in January, when David Balland, co-founder of French crypto-wallet company Ledger, was kidnapped along with his wife in central France’s Cher region. The perpetrators reportedly demanded ransom in cryptocurrency from another Ledger co-founder.
Balland was freed the next day in a raid by France’s National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), with his wife rescued a day later, tied up in a vehicle.
Authorities have expressed concerns over organised crime targeting those linked to the growing digital asset industry.
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