kidnapping

According to DL News, David Balland, co-founder of the French company Ledger, was kidnapped by a criminal gang in January 2025. The assailants cut off his fingers and demanded a ransom of $11.5 million in Bitcoin. After the incident, the police acted quickly, rescuing Balland and his partner, and arrested 10 suspects at the scene, but one suspect escaped to Spain amid the chaos. After weeks of joint pursuit by the police of both countries, the suspect was eventually captured in Benalmádena, Spain.Currently, the Fuengirola court is advancing the extradition process based on the European Arrest Warrant agreement, and French authorities have confirmed that they have identified and arrested all individuals involved.

According to DL News, the police in Lyon, France, have arrested 12 suspects allegedly involved in planning a cryptocurrency kidnapping case from last year. Previously, about 150 armed police officers raided a building near the Valence train station in the Drôme region on August 31, 2025, rescuing a 22-year-old Swiss man who had been kidnapped for four days. The kidnappers demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency, and the victim suffered severe abuse and injury during his captivity.The police stated that these arrests are the result of months of investigation, and approximately 20 individuals have been identified and implicated. On the day of the operation, one mastermind and two others were arrested, and in early September, 7 more were apprehended, including 6 individuals aged between 24 and 30, and 1 minor under 18. The prosecution has charged these individuals with kidnapping, illegal detention, organized crime, extortion, illegal possession of weapons, and conspiracy.On March 2, the police launched another large-scale operation, arresting 18 people, of whom 3 were detained. Additionally, the Versailles police are pursuing 3 suspects who impersonated police officers to rob a couple of $1 million worth of Bitcoin at knife point. From 2023 to the end of 2025, the French police have handled a total of 40 cryptocurrency-related kidnapping cases.

A former police officer in Los Angeles, Eric Halem, was found guilty by a jury of kidnapping and robbery for his involvement in a violent extortion case targeting cryptocurrency holders.The incident occurred in 2024 in an apartment in Koreatown, Los Angeles, where Eric Halem and his accomplices impersonated law enforcement officers, entered the premises, and held a 17-year-old cryptocurrency holder at gunpoint, seizing a hard drive containing the private keys to approximately $350,000 worth of Bitcoin. The related charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

According to the Xinmin Evening News, a 38-year-old Chinese businessman, Wang, was kidnapped and killed in Turkey, and 10 suspects have been arrested.The investigation shows that the suspects began tracking the victim from Istanbul Airport and lured him into a trap through a female accomplice. When Wang left the restaurant with the woman, four suspects forcibly shoved him into another vehicle. Police discovered Wang's body days later, with his hands, feet, and mouth bound with tape, and his head severely injured. The suspects had a debt dispute with Wang, and they stole the victim's phone and extracted a large amount of money from his cryptocurrency wallet.On the day of the incident, the woman involved fled Turkey, and after the other suspects left the country, an arrest warrant was issued by Interpol. Currently, all 10 suspects, including the woman, have been apprehended.

According to TMZ, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, with blood left at the scene. The kidnappers sent a ransom note to TMZ and two local television stations, demanding a ransom of 6 million dollars in Bitcoin.Law enforcement released images of a suspect on February 10, showing a man wearing a ski mask and carrying a handgun tampering with the doorbell camera. Investigations suggest that the kidnappers may be from the Tucson area, with an activity range within a 700-mile radius of Tucson.The latest breakthrough is the first activity in the Bitcoin account specified in the ransom note. Despite two ransom deadlines having passed, "TODAY" host Savannah Guthrie is still attempting to contact the kidnappers and is willing to pay the ransom. Nancy needs a heart pacemaker and daily medication, and the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information.

French police have arrested six suspects in connection with the kidnapping of a judge and her mother. According to Agence France-Presse, the 35-year-old judge and her 67-year-old mother were kidnapped overnight from Wednesday to Thursday last week and were later found injured and trapped in a garage in the Drôme region.Prosecutor Thierry Dran stated that the kidnappers sent photos and messages to the judge's partner, threatening to maim the victims if the ransom in cryptocurrency was not paid. The victims ultimately escaped with the intervention of a neighbor, without any ransom being paid. CertiK reported that such cryptocurrency ransomware attacks are evolving into organized crime, with 72 cases globally in 2025, resulting in total losses of $41 million. Currently, six suspects have been detained, including a minor, and the case is still under further investigation.

In the investigation of the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, on the "TODAY" show, a ransom email demanding millions of dollars in Bitcoin has emerged. The gossip news site TMZ reported receiving this ransom email, which included a Bitcoin address, a deadline, and threatening content.Nancy Guthrie went missing from her home in Arizona on January 31, and the police are treating the case as a "possible kidnapping." In recent years, the use of cryptocurrency in kidnapping and ransom cases has been on the rise, with a record 72 violent wrench attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders globally in 2025, a 75% increase from 2024.

According to Actu17, the police in the Isère department of France reported that a 74-year-old man was kidnapped at his home on January 25 and subsequently transferred to a bar in the Drôme department, where he suffered approximately 16 hours of illegal detention and severe abuse, including facial cuts and the amputation of a finger. The suspects mistakenly believed that his son was a cryptocurrency millionaire and demanded a ransom of 3 million euros in cryptocurrency, sending videos of the abuse via encrypted communication to apply pressure.The police later arrested three suspects in their twenties in the Rhône Valley area. The three have been formally charged and detained on charges including organized kidnapping, torture, and barbaric acts. Investigations indicate that the suspects may have acted under the direction of others.

According to India Today, the Indian Enforcement Directorate has arrested two individuals related to the BitConnect cryptocurrency scam, which involves global fraud, kidnapping, and extortion, with amounts reaching thousands of bitcoins and tens of millions of rupees in cash.The arrested individuals, Nikunj Pravinbhai Bhatt and Sanjay Kotadia, are suspected of being involved in a kidnapping and extortion case, where the victim was forced to hand over 2,254 bitcoins, 11,000 litecoins, and approximately 1.45 billion rupees in cash. Some of the extorted bitcoins were converted into ETH and USDT and transferred through multiple wallets. The Indian Enforcement Directorate has frozen and seized assets worth approximately 1.9 billion rupees, including cryptocurrency assets, stocks, and cash; to date, the total value of seized or frozen assets in this case is around 21.7 billion rupees. The investigation is still ongoing. The Indian Enforcement Directorate stated that BitConnect presented itself as a high-return investment platform, claiming that its self-developed volatility trading robot could generate returns of up to 40% per month. The agency indicated that these claims are entirely fictitious, aimed at creating a false illusion of growth, including posting about a 1% fictitious daily return rate on its website.

According to market news, the Philippine police recently successfully rescued a Chinese citizen who was illegally detained by Chinese kidnappers in an apartment in Pasay City. Two individuals were arrested on the scene, while two other suspects are still at large. The victim reported being threatened for a demand of 1 million dollars and had already transferred over 400,000 dollars in cryptocurrency; the suspects also threatened to sell organs.The police seized items such as tape, knives, and handcuffs at the scene and will file charges related to kidnapping and extortion.

The Spanish police recently cracked a violent kidnapping case targeting cryptocurrency holders. A man and his partner were kidnapped, and the man was shot in the leg while attempting to escape, ultimately being found dead in the woods near Mijas in the province of Malaga. The police have arrested 5 people in Spain, and 4 others have been prosecuted in Denmark, highlighting the transnational nature of such criminal networks. As the value of cryptocurrencies rises, similar violent incidents have surged globally.

ChainCatcher news, a major cryptocurrency ransom case occurred in Minnesota.23-year-old Raymond Garcia and 24-year-old Isiah Garcia, brothers, kidnapped a family of three at gunpoint on September 19, forcing the victims to transfer $8 million worth of cryptocurrency. The two suspects were arrested in Texas on September 22 and are currently facing multiple charges including kidnapping, first-degree robbery, and burglary from federal prosecutors.

ChainCatcher news, 39-year-old Keyron Moore was sentenced to 13 years in prison (with 3 years already served) for crimes including kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault committed in 2022. In the case, the suspect kidnapped a female victim and demanded a ransom of 1 million dollars in Bitcoin. The victim suffered violent treatment during her captivity and ultimately managed to escape.Another underage accomplice will be sentenced on October 3 in Oshawa. The court also imposed a lifetime ban on Moore from possessing weapons and required him to register as a sex offender for 20 years.

ChainCatcher news, Binance co-founder Zhao Changpeng posted on platform X revealing that he had previously donated to the fundraising for the restoration

According to ChainCatcher news reported by Protos, two suspects, John Woeltz and William Duplessie, accused of kidnapping and torturing a Bitcoin trader to obtain his keys, have been granted bail by a New York court. The two are charged with 12 counts, all of which they plead not guilty. Each was released on a $1 million bond and will be subject to electronic monitoring, while being required to surrender their passports.Suspect Woeltz is referred to as the "Crypto King of Kentucky." They are accused of kidnapping an Italian crypto trader in Woeltz's Soho mansion and subjecting him to torture, including threats with a gun, attacks with a stun gun and chainsaw, and setting him on fire with alcohol. It is alleged that the two also threatened to kill the victim's family.Although the prosecution claims there is evidence showing the two had engaged in similar behavior, Judge Gregory Carro found numerous credibility issues and decided to grant bail while continuing to review the evidence.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Brussels Criminal Court sentenced three criminals involved in the kidnapping of cryptocurrency entrepreneur Stefan Winkel's wife to 12 years in prison each and ordered them to pay 1 million euros in compensation.The three had demanded a cryptocurrency ransom, and the mastermind is still at large. The victim, Winkel, is a well-known operator of a local cryptocurrency education platform, and has been forced to move and adjust the format of his public activities since the incident.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, Australian cryptocurrency billionaire Tim Heath successfully escaped from a meticulously planned kidnapping attempt by biting off one of the attacker's fingers.According to a hearing in an Estonian court last week, the attacker disguised as a painter, used a GPS tracker and a disposable phone to monitor Heath's movements. After the incident, Heath has invested approximately €2.7 million to enhance his personal security.