French authorities have arrested six suspects, including a minor, following the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother in a case where the assailants demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency. The 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother were abducted from their home overnight between Wednesday and Thursday last week and held for approximately 30 hours before being discovered injured in a garage in the southeastern Drôme region on Friday morning.
Prosecutor Thierry Dran stated that the kidnappers targeted the magistrate's partner, who was not home during the abduction. The partner, who holds a leadership role at a cryptocurrency startup, received a message and a photo of the two women demanding a crypto ransom. The captors threatened to mutilate the victims if payment was not made quickly, though the specific amount demanded was not disclosed.
A large-scale police operation involving 160 officers was launched. The victims were ultimately rescued after a neighbor, alerted by noise, intervened and opened the garage door, allowing them to escape. Authorities confirmed that no ransom was paid. Among the six arrested were four men and one woman taken into custody overnight, with a minor apprehended later. Two suspects were intercepted while attempting to board a bus to Spain.
This incident is part of a rising trend of so-called "wrench attacks" in France, where criminals use physical violence and kidnapping to extort cryptocurrency. The case is reminiscent of the 2020 kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland, where attackers severed a finger to pressure a ransom payment. According to blockchain security firm CertiK, such incidents are developing into organized crime, with cases involving multiple abductors becoming more frequent.
Angela Ang, head of policy and strategic partnerships for Asia Pacific at TRM Labs, noted that 2025 was a "record year" for such attacks, with roughly 60 reported physical assaults on crypto holders. She attributed the rise to the mainstream adoption of crypto and the perceived irreversibility and pseudonymity of transactions. Criminals are increasingly using social media to profile potential targets based on indicators of wealth tied to digital assets.
