Arrests in Cryptocurrency Ransom Kidnapping Case
French authorities have apprehended five individuals in connection with the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother, who were held captive for approximately 30 hours in a cryptocurrency-related ransom scheme, prosecutors announced on Sunday.
The Lyon public prosecutor’s office reported that the arrests involved four men and one woman following the discovery on Friday of the 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother. Both were found injured in a garage located in the Drôme department in south-eastern France.
Details of the Abduction and Investigation
During a press briefing on Friday, Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran revealed that the magistrate’s partner, who was absent from their home during the overnight abduction from Wednesday to Thursday, holds a senior position in a cryptocurrency startup.
A large-scale police operation involving 160 officers was initiated after the partner received a message accompanied by a photograph of the magistrate from the kidnappers, who demanded a ransom payable in cryptocurrency.
The captors threatened to mutilate their victims if the transfer was not made quickly, Dran told reporters, declining to specify the amount demanded.
The two women ultimately managed to free themselves and alert authorities. They were rescued on Friday morning in Bourg-lès-Valence without any ransom having been paid, according to the prosecutor’s statement.
Context of Cryptocurrency-Related Kidnappings in France
French law enforcement has been contending with a series of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting families of affluent individuals involved in the cryptocurrency sector.
In January 2025, a notable case involved a co-founder of the cryptocurrency firm Ledger, which was valued at over $1 billion at the time. The individual and his partner were kidnapped; the assailants severed his finger and demanded a substantial ransom. He was released the following day, and his partner was found tied up in the trunk of a car near Paris.
In another incident in May, the father of a man operating a Malta-based cryptocurrency company was abducted by four masked men in Paris. The victim suffered a severed finger, and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of several million euros. He was freed 58 hours later during a security forces raid.
