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Crypto Wealth Turns Sinister: Father of Millionaire Abducted and Mutilated in Paris
In a chilling reminder of the dark side of digital wealth, the father of a Paris-based cryptocurrency millionaire was violently abducted in broad daylight—an attack that quickly escalated into a gruesome extortion scheme.
The victim was snatched Thursday morning from the 14th arrondissement of Paris by four masked men who shoved him into a delivery van. The motive? A brutal ransom attempt targeting his son, a well-known crypto entrepreneur. Reports say the kidnappers demanded between €5 million and €7 million (approximately $5.7 to $7.9 million) to secure the father’s release.
By Saturday night, French authorities had tracked the captors to Essonne, a suburb south of Paris. A daring rescue operation led to the man’s release and the arrest of five suspects, all in their twenties. According to Le Parisien, the kidnappers had already severed one of the victim’s fingers—a gruesome warning meant to pressure payment and a chilling indication of what might have followed.
The Paris prosecutors’ office confirmed the investigation and emphasized the urgency of the intervention, which may have prevented further violence. A source close to the case described the rescue as a race against time.
This shocking event echoes a disturbing trend of violence against individuals linked to cryptocurrency wealth in France. Earlier this year, David Balland, co-founder of the billion-dollar crypto firm Ledger, was kidnapped with his wife. Balland’s finger was also severed, and his wife was discovered tied up in a car trunk. That case ended in nine arrests.
Source: create.vista
Just weeks before, another victim—father to a Dubai-based crypto influencer—was found in the boot of a car near Le Mans, also connected to a ransom demand.
As cryptocurrency continues to grow in mainstream appeal, so does its shadow: an underworld of targeted kidnappings and violent extortion. For many in the crypto space, the message is becoming clear—wealth in the digital age can come with real-world danger.
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