French law enforcement has successfully rescued the father of a cryptocurrency millionaire who was kidnapped earlier this week in Paris. The unidentified man was snatched on Thursday afternoon in a brazen attack in central Paris, as reported by police sources. Four assailants, donning balaclavas, forcibly abducted him and drove away in a delivery van, according to accounts in French media.
After an extensive search that lasted for several hours, police located the victim on Saturday in a house in Palaiseau, located south of Paris. Disturbingly, reports indicate that when he was found, he had suffered severe injuries, including the loss of a finger. His captors reportedly had demanded a ransom ranging between 5 to 7 million euros (£4.2 - 5.9 million) from his son, who is a wealthy figure in the cryptocurrency space.
Authorities were able to track down the location of the victim through the use of phone signals, leading to the arrest of four suspects who are currently in custody and being interrogated. This incident marks the third reported kidnapping linked to France's growing cryptocurrency industry this year alone.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau lauded the police for their quick and effective operation in liberating the victim, calling it an "exceptional job." This incident follows another abduction from earlier this year involving David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, who was also kidnapped at home and had a similar ransom of 10 million euros (£8.5 million) demanded for his release. Additionally, in January, a 56-year-old man was rescued from the trunk of a car after his abductors attempted to extort money from his son, a cryptocurrency influencer situated in Dubai.
