A 74-year-old French man was kidnapped and tortured for 16 hours; the kidnappers mistook his son for a cryptocurrency tycoon.

PANews reported on February 3 that, according to French media, three men in their twenties have been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a 74-year-old man. The incident occurred on the morning of January 25 in Voiron, Isère, in southeastern France. The kidnappers attempted to extort $3.5 million worth of cryptocurrency from the victim's son, but ultimately discovered that his son was not a cryptocurrency tycoon, but rather an ordinary web developer.

Police stated that the victim suffered nearly 16 hours of torture after being kidnapped, including having fingers cut off and facial injuries. The kidnappers also took the victim to a bar's back room to film the abuse and sent the videos to his son via encrypted message demanding ransom. After confirming the victim was not the right person, the kidnappers released him that evening.

In recent years, kidnapping and violence related to cryptocurrency have been on the rise in France. Statistics show that 19 such cases were reported in France last year, including the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland and his wife. Police are urging cryptocurrency holders to be vigilant and guard against potential threats.