Six arrested in France over crypto-linked kidnapping of magistrate

French police arrested six people, including a minor, over the kidnapping of a 35‑year‑old magistrate and her 67‑year‑old mother in a cryptocurrency‑linked ransom plot aimed at the magistrate’s partner, a crypto entrepreneur. The partner received a photo of the magistrate and a threat to mutilate the hostages if a cryptocurrency payment was not made.

The two women were held for around 30 hours in a garage in the Drôme region before raising the alarm and escaping; no ransom was paid. The case adds to a wider surge in crypto‑related kidnappings in France. In 2025, authorities charged 25 suspects, including several minors, over a series of kidnappings and attempted kidnappings of crypto investors and executives, with ransoms allegedly demanded in digital assets.

Earlier incidents cited include the thwarted abduction of the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, an assault on a Ledger wallet user near Paris, and the kidnapping of Ledger co‑founder David Balland, who had part of his finger cut off before being freed.

France, Drôme

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