French authorities arrest five suspects after a magistrate and her mother were held captive for 30 hours in a cryptocurrency ransom plot.
LYON: French police have arrested five suspects in connection with the kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother in a cryptocurrency ransom plot.
The Lyon public prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrests of four men and one woman on Sunday.
The 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother were found injured in a garage in the Drome department on Friday.
They had been held captive for approximately 30 hours after being abducted overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
Prosecutor Thierry Dran stated the magistrate’s partner holds a leading role in a cryptocurrency start-up.
A massive police search involving 160 officers was launched after the partner received a ransom demand.
The kidnappers sent a message and a photo, demanding payment in cryptocurrency.
They threatened to mutilate the victims if the transfer was not made quickly.
The two women managed to free themselves and raise the alarm before any ransom was paid.
They were rescued on Friday morning in Bourg-les-Valence.
French authorities have noted a series of kidnappings targeting individuals linked to cryptocurrency wealth.
In January 2025, crypto executive David Balland was kidnapped and had a finger severed.
Balland, co-founder of the firm Ledger, was freed the next day after a ransom demand.
In May 2025, the father of a Malta-based crypto company executive was also kidnapped in Paris.
That victim’s finger was severed, and a multi-million euro ransom was demanded before a police raid secured his release 58 hours later.
