French encryption tycoon received a "finger-cutting video" from his father demanding a ransom of several million euros, with all seven suspects being in their twenties.

Cases of crypto billionaires being kidnapped for ransom have resurfaced in France, this time with the father of a crypto industry boss kidnapped by seven armed young men and threatening his son with his finger cut off. (Synopsis: Ledger founder kidnapped for 48 hours, David Balland and his wife rescued!) 10 suspects were arrested, and the crypto ransom was frozen) (Background supplement: The man was mistaken for a bitcoin whale and was almost kidnapped, targeting his children and forcing his family to live a life of escape) In recent years, the increase in crypto billionaires has also attracted many outlaws who "want to make quick money", resulting in cases of physical kidnapping for ransom. A kidnapping case occurred in Paris, France, on the 1st of this month, the victim was the father of a crypto business owner, and he was brutally treated with amputated fingers, indicating that crimes against cryptocurrency-related people are rapidly escalating. Armed kidnapping, finger hacking for ransom According to the French BFMTV report, at about 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, city monitors captured four men wearing hoods forcibly pushing a middle-aged and elderly man into a van in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, the victim is the father of a businessman who has made his fortune in the cryptocurrency space. After kidnapping the target, the gangsters extorted a ransom of "millions of euros" from the family. They even filmed a clip of the rich businessman's father having his finger amputated and passed it to the crypto rich. The wealthy businessman's mother, who was also taken to the police station to assist in the investigation, revealed to the police that her husband, who co-runs a cryptocurrency marketing company in Malta with his son, has been threatened several times in the past, but the company has declined to disclose its brand at this time. The kidnappers did not voluntarily release the hostages. After 48 hours, investigators finally found the rich businessman's father in a suburban house in Palaiso, in the department of Esson, in the Île-de-France region, and was successfully rescued by the French Police Commando (BRI). One of the victim's fingers had been amputated and taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. Seven people were detained for investigation Paris prosecutors announced on the 3rd that four people were detained by the police on the night the victims were rescued. The kidnappers, all of whom were born in 1999, 1998, 2005 and 2022, carried firearms, knives and blunt objects, tried to escape and resisted the police before being arrested. Another man, born in 1999, was also arrested later while driving a suspected vehicle. Finally, on Sunday, 4 May, the prosecution confirmed that the other two had also been arrested and detained, born in 1998 and 2007. All seven suspects remain in detention, with a legal maximum of 96 hours in France. On Saturday night, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau posted on social media X to thank the Paris Police Headquarters and its director, Laurent Nuñez: "I pay the most sincere tribute to the police officers who handled the case for their outstanding mission, successfully rescuing hostages and arresting kidnappers." "Wrench attack" to force the transfer of cryptocurrencies This group of kidnappers demanded a high ransom and targeted the cryptocurrency wealth of the victim's family, which is attractive to criminals due to its anonymity and multiple channels for money laundering. In Western countries, so-called "Wrench attacks" (physical threats to transfer cryptocurrencies) have begun to rise, and crime rates are rising all over the world. The data shows that the number of such attacks worldwide has increased from 24 in all of 2023 to 21 in the first May of 2025, and such criminal methods are usually extremely violent in order to achieve speed, such as the amputation in the kidnapping case against David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, in France. Other cases include the extortion of a million-dollar cryptocurrency CEO from WonderFi in Canada and the hack into the home of Amouranth, a US livestreamer. Read more: Ledger founder kidnapped for 48 hours David Balland and his wife rescued! 10 suspects arrested, crypto ransom frozen Related reports Cold wallet Ledger founder kidnapped suspected cloud "Want Bitcoin ransom? Some communities refute rumors, but I don't respond Man mistaken for a bitcoin whale was almost kidnapped, targeting his children and forcing his family to live a life of flight "French crypto billionaire received his father's "broken finger video" to ransom millions of euros, and the 7 perpetrators were all in their 20s" This article was first published in BlockTempo "Dynamic Trend - The Most Influential Blockchain News Media".