Crypto kidnapping in France: Police arrest six over magistrate abduction

French authorities have arrested multiple suspects in connection with the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother in a case prosecutors say involved a cryptocurrency ransom plot.

Summary

• French police arrested six suspects, including a minor, over the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother in a crypto-linked ransom case.
• Kidnappers allegedly demanded payment in cryptocurrency, targeting the victims due to a family connection to a crypto startup.
• The victims were rescued alive without a ransom being paid, following a large-scale police operation in southeastern France.

Crypto kidnapping sparks nationwide police operation in France

The Lyon public prosecutor’s office said on Sunday that six people, including a minor, were taken into custody following the discovery of the victims in a garage in the Drôme department of southeastern France.

The 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother were found injured but alive after being held for around 30 hours.

The arrests came after a 160-officer police operation that began when the magistrate’s partner, who works in a leadership position at a cryptocurrency start-up, received a message and a photo from the kidnappers demanding payment in cryptocurrency, prosecutors said.

Among those detained were four men and one woman taken into custody overnight, and a sixth suspect, a minor, was arrested later on Sunday afternoon, according to sources close to the case.

Two suspects were intercepted while trying to board a bus bound for Spain.

Investigators say one of the individuals held is the partner of one of the male suspects. Police continue to search for additional people believed to be involved.

Victims freed without ransom paid

The pair were found on Friday morning inside a garage in Bourg-lès-Valence, where they had been held after being abducted from their home. Prosecutors said the captors threatened to mutilate the victims if the crypto ransom was not transferred quickly, though authorities did not disclose the amount demanded.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the two women managed to make noise and attract attention, prompting a neighbour to open the door and alert authorities. No ransom was paid before their rescue.

This case seems to be the latest in a string of kidnapping and extortion attempts targeting relatives of individuals with ties to the cryptocurrency sector. In previous high-profile cases, victims have endured severe physical harm and ransom demands tied to perceived crypto wealth.