A police officer who spoke with AFP on anonymously said four masked men caught the victim in spacious sunlight, forcing him to ride on the bystander to watch the delivery van. The motive was to put pressure on the man’s son, reportedly paying ransom for the wealthy who risked cryptocurrency, prosecutors said. Although officials did not confirm the amount, Parisian The report said the kidnappers demanded between 500,000,000 euros. No ransom was paid before rescue.
Sources close to the investigation told AFP that one of the victim’s fingers had been cut off and police feared no raids had occurred. One of the suspects was arrested while driving a vehicle believed to have been used for the crime.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau praised the “decisive” action in a statement to X. The case involves opposition to the ball and cybercriminal units.
The victim’s wife told investigators that her husband and their son jointly owned a cryptocurrency marketing company in Malta and had been threatened in the past.
The kidnapping reflects similar incidents of numbers related to the cryptocurrency industry. David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, a cryptocurrency company worth more than $1 billion, was kidnapped with his partner in January. Balan’s fingers were cut off, and his girlfriend was later tied to the trunk of the car. In this case, nine suspects are being investigated. Also in January, a 56-year-old man, considered the father of a Dubai crypto influencer, was found in the trunk of a car near the city of Mans, asking for ransom in this case.
