French authorities arrested five suspects after holding a magistrate and her mother hostage for 30 hours last week in a cryptocurrency ransom plot, prosecutors said Sunday.
Four men and a woman were arrested after a 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother were found injured in a garage in the southeastern Drôme department on Friday, the Lyon public prosecutor’s office said.
At a press conference later Friday, Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dron said the magistrate’s partner – who was not at home when the couple was abducted overnight Wednesday to Thursday – had a leading position in the cryptocurrency startup.
A massive police search involving 160 officers was launched after he received a message from the kidnappers demanding a ransom in cryptocurrency and a photo of his partner.
Threatened to dismember their victims if the transfer was not made soon, Dran told reporters, declining to specify the amount demanded.
The two women managed to free themselves and raise the alarm. According to the prosecutor, they were rescued in Bourges-les-Valence on Friday morning without paying any ransom.
French authorities are dealing with a series of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting families of wealthy individuals who deal in cryptocurrencies.
In January 2025, Kidnappers captured French crypto boss David Balland and his partner. Balaland co-founded the crypto firm Ledger, which at the time was valued at over $1bn. The kidnappers cut off his finger and demanded a huge ransom. He was freed the next day and his partner was captured in the boot of a car outside Paris.
In May, the father of a man who runs a Malta-based cryptocurrency company was kidnapped by four hooded men in Paris. The victim, whose finger was also amputated by the kidnappers and a ransom of several million euros was demanded for him, was released after 58 hours in a raid by security forces.
