French authorities have arrested six suspects, including a minor, following the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother in a case tied to a cryptocurrency ransom demand, prosecutors confirmed Sunday.
The two women, a 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother, were found alive but injured after being held captive for about 30 hours. Their rescue followed a large-scale police operation spanning multiple regions in southeastern France.
Crypto ransom demand triggers massive police operation
According to the Lyon public prosecutor’s office, the investigation began when the magistrate’s partner, a senior executive at a cryptocurrency start-up, received a message and photograph from the kidnappers demanding payment in cryptocurrency.
The threat prompted an urgent response involving around 160 police officers. Investigators tracked the suspects across departments, intercepting two of them as they attempted to flee France on a bus heading to Spain.
Overnight arrests led to the detention of four men and one woman, with a sixth suspect, a minor, taken into custody later on Sunday. Authorities say one of those held is romantically linked to a primary suspect, while efforts continue to identify additional accomplices.
Victims escape as neighbour raises alarm
The victims were abducted from their home and later discovered locked inside a garage in Bourg-lès-Valence, in the Drôme department. Prosecutors said the captors threatened to mutilate the women if the ransom was not paid, though the exact amount demanded was not disclosed.
Their ordeal ended when the women made enough noise to alert a nearby resident, who opened the garage and contacted emergency services. No ransom was paid before their rescue.
Investigators say the case fits a worrying pattern of kidnappings and extortion attempts targeting individuals connected to the cryptocurrency industry, as criminals increasingly seek to exploit perceived digital-asset wealth.
In June 2025, French authorities reportedly apprehended more suspects connected to the violent abduction of a crypto entrepreneur’s father, whose finger was severed as part of a shocking ransom demand.
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