France detains seven over new cryptocurrency kidnapping
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France has dealt with a string of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting high-worth individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Seven people were detained in France regarding the kidnapping of a young Swiss cryptocurrency trader.
- The 20-year-old victim was freed in Valence by gendarmes on August 31st; he was found tied up.
- This case is one of several kidnappings targeting wealthy cryptocurrency individuals in France, including ransom demands and mutilation.
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PARIS – French authorities have detained seven people in an investigation into the kidnapping of a young Swiss citizen believed to be the latest abduction targeting the hugely lucrative cryptocurrency world, a source close to the case said on Sept 4.
The man, aged 20 according to Swiss media reports, was freed on Aug 31 in the south-eastern city of Valence in a special operation by French gendarmes, said the source, who asked not to be named.
No details were given regarding how long he had been held.
About 150 gendarmes were mobilised in the operation to free him.
According to the regional daily Dauphine Libere, the young man was found tied up in a house near the Valence high speed train station.
French authorities have been dealing with a string of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting the families of high-worth individuals dealing in cryptocurrencies.
In January, kidnappers seized French crypto boss David Balland and his partner. Mr Balland co-founded the crypto company Ledger, valued at the time at more than US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion).
His kidnappers cut off his finger and demanded a hefty ransom. He was freed the next day, and his girlfriend was found tied up in a car boot outside Paris.
In May, the father of a man who ran a Malta-based cryptocurrency company was kidnapped by four hooded men in Paris.
The victim, whose finger was severed by the kidnappers and for whom a ransom of several million euros was demanded, was released 58 hours later during a raid by security forces. AFP
