A 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother escaped after 30 hours captive in southern France, aided by a neighbor, in a kidnapping tied to cryptocurrency demands sent to the magistrate's partner at a crypto startup. No ransom was paid, and six suspects—including a minor—were arrested days later amid a wave of similar crypto-linked abductions.
The ordeal began Wednesday night when the women were abducted from their home near Lyon while the magistrate's partner—who holds a leading role in a cryptocurrency startup—was away. On Thursday morning, he received a photo of the magistrate and a ransom demand in cryptocurrency, threatening mutilation if unpaid. He immediately alerted police, triggering a massive operation with up to 160 officers.
The captives were held in a garage in Bourg-lès-Valence, Drôme region. On Friday morning, with their captor absent, they banged on the door for help. Neighbor, alerted by screams, opened it, allowing their escape. Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran said: “They were able to take advantage of the absence of their captor to free themselves, to call for help, in particular by banging forcefully on the garage door.” The neighbor told BFMTV: “I just came to take my car when I heard women hitting and screaming. I opened the door and two women came out; they were a little dirty. I was happy, they said thank you.” The women, found injured, were hospitalized.
No ransom was paid. By Sunday, authorities arrested six suspects—all in their twenties except a minor—in Lyon and Chambéry. This included four men and one woman (partner of a male suspect), with two caught trying to board a bus to Spain. Searches continue for others.
The case underscores rising crypto-linked kidnappings targeting affluent families. Examples include: December 2024 abduction of crypto influencer Stéphane Winkel's wife in Belgium; January 2025 seizure of Ledger cofounder David Balland and partner (his finger severed, freed next day); May 2025 kidnapping of a Malta-based crypto executive's father in Paris (finger cut off, released after 58 hours and raid); and a failed attempt on Paymium CEO's daughter. In the US, bitcoin demands persist in the search for Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC's Savannah Guthrie.
Experts note cryptocurrencies' traceability despite myths. IT consultant Renaud Lifchitz said: “Crypto works on a blockchain... everything is visible, trackable and auditable.” SentinelOne's Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade called bitcoin one of the “most traceable currencies we’ve ever had.”
