French authorities carried out a dramatic rescue operation over the weekend, freeing a man kidnapped in broad daylight amid a disturbing surge in ransom abductions linked to the cryptocurrency world. Five suspects were taken into custody following the high-stakes raid, officials confirmed.
The victim, believed to be the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency investor, was reportedly seized on Thursday, May 1st, as part of a calculated extortion plot. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the kidnappers demanded ransom payments—an increasingly common theme in a string of violent crypto-connected crimes.
A source familiar with the investigation revealed that the abductors had already severed one of the victim’s fingers. “There was genuine fear the mutilation wouldn’t stop there,” the source said, noting police intervened just in time to prevent further injuries.
Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case. Earlier this year, David Balland, co-founder of crypto firm Ledger, endured a similarly harrowing ordeal. He and his partner were kidnapped in January, with Balland also losing a finger before being released. That case remains under investigation, with nine suspects still facing scrutiny.
In another chilling incident that same month, a 56-year-old man—reportedly the father of a prominent crypto influencer based in Dubai—was discovered stuffed in the trunk of a car near Le Mans. Like the others, he was allegedly targeted for ransom.
As these cases pile up, they’ve laid bare a darker trend gripping France: organized criminals are increasingly zeroing in on individuals tied to digital wealth. With crypto fortunes on the rise and public security seemingly in retreat, ransom kidnappings have fast become a brutal new tactic in the criminal underworld’s playbook.
French officials have yet to announce any broader strategy to combat the surge, but the urgency is clear—the world of digital currency is becoming a magnet for old-school violence.
