French Police Arrest Six After Crypto Kidnapping of Magistrate and Mother

Highlights:

• Crypto kidnapping cases in France are pushing police to treat ransom threats as high-risk crimes.
• French investigators rescued the victims without paying ransom after a rapid nationwide police response.
• The victims escaped after being held for about thirty hours when a neighbour heard noise and alerted authorities.

French authorities are investigating a serious crypto kidnapping case involving a magistrate and her mother after a failed cryptocurrency ransom attempt. The attackers abducted the 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother overnight between Wednesday and Thursday. The incident occurred at their residence in southeastern France while the magistrate’s partner was not at home. The kidnappers transported the two women and held them inside a garage in Bourg-lès-Valence, located in the Drôme region.

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Prosecutors said the victims remained in captivity for about thirty hours. Both women sustained injuries during the detention, although officials confirmed they were found alive. During the confinement, the victims repeatedly made noise from inside the garage. A nearby neighbor heard the disturbance and intervened by opening the door.

Emergency services responded shortly after the alert. Medical teams treated the victims following their escape. Prosecutors confirmed that the kidnappers did not receive any ransom payment. Authorities secured the site and began a criminal investigation.

Ransom Threats to Crypto Executive Spark Nationwide Manhunt

After the abduction, the kidnappers contacted the magistrate’s partner with a ransom demand. They sent a message and a photograph showing the two women in captivity. Prosecutors described the partner as holding a leadership role at a cryptocurrency startup. The message demanded payment in cryptocurrency.

The kidnappers threatened to mutilate the victims unless the partner made the payment in a short time. The police evaluated the crypto kidnapping threat to be both serious and imminent. Investigators then initiated a countrywide manhunt.

About 160 officers took part in coordinated search operations. Police arrested four men and one woman during overnight raids. Authorities later detained a sixth suspect, who is a minor. Investigators intercepted two suspects as they attempted to board a bus that was traveling toward Spain.

Police said one detained individual is the partner of another suspect. Investigators believe additional people may have participated in the crime. Authorities are still examining evidence as the inquiry progresses. Prosecutors said that they will file formal charges once they determine the roles that the suspects played.

Crypto Kidnapping Drives Broader Security Concerns Across Europe

Prosecutors said the case mirrors earlier high-profile crypto kidnappings in France. Authorities referenced the abduction of David Balland, a co-founder of Ledger. Attackers kidnapped Balland at his home and demanded a cryptocurrency ransom. They severed one of his fingers and sent a video to a business partner to pressure for payment. The police arrested several suspects after rescuing Balland.

Investigators also cited a separate crypto kidnapping case near the Swiss border. Five attackers raided a home in Saint-Genis-Pouilly and demanded ransom from a crypto influencer living in Dubai. After failing to secure payment, they kidnapped the influencer’s 56-year-old father. Police later found the victim nearly 700 kilometers away in Sarthe, inside a car trunk.

Authorities pointed to similar incidents elsewhere in Europe. Vienna police linked the killing of a 21-year-old student to the theft of cryptocurrency wallet credentials. Investigators said attackers forced the victim to reveal login details before draining his accounts.

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Industry leaders have issued warnings about these attacks. At the Baltic Honeybadger 2025 conference in Riga, Alena Vranova, founder of SatoshiLabs, warned that violent “wrench attacks” are increasing. She said criminals have targeted victims for crypto amounts as low as $6,000.