Paris Kidnapping Tied to Crypto Ransom Ends in Brutal Finger Severing

In a shocking incident linked to the world of cryptocurrency, French police rescued a man who had been abducted in Paris, only to discover that his captors had cut off one of his fingers. The man is the father of a known crypto entrepreneur.

The kidnapping unfolded Thursday morning when four men wearing ski masks forcibly took the victim off a Paris street and transported him in a van. He was held in an Airbnb rental located 12 miles from the city for two days.

The perpetrators reached out to the victim’s son, sending him a horrifying video of the injured man and demanding several million euros as ransom.

Authorities launched a successful operation and arrested five individuals aged 23 to 27. The suspects are now in custody as investigations continue, the Paris Prosecutor’s office confirmed.

The case has raised concerns as it mirrors similar crypto-linked abductions that have plagued the region. Earlier this year, crypto wallet company co-founder David Balland was kidnapped alongside his wife from their home in central France.

Balland was tortured in an eerily similar way—his finger was amputated and sent as a threat to a business colleague, with demands for money in return for their release.

In another incident from December 2024, crypto investor Stéphane Winkel’s wife was abducted in Belgium. She was saved following a car chase in which the kidnapper lost control of his vehicle. Experts are now questioning whether the series of crimes are orchestrated by a single criminal group or multiple gangs using similar tactics.