David Balland, co-founder of crypto wallet developer Ledger, and his wife were kidnapped in a ransom attack in Central France, with Balland sustaining injuries during the attack.
Balland and his partner were rescued by the authorities in an operation on Wednesday night after a coordinated operation in Châteauroux.
Ledger Co-Founder Rescued
David Balland and his partner were kidnapped from their home in the early hours of Tuesday in a targeted attack in central France. The kidnappers held them captive at two separate locations and then contacted another Ledger co-founder to demand a ransom in cryptocurrency. The couple was rescued after a police operation involving the French elite forces, GIGN, freed Ballard on Wednesday and his wife on Thursday, according to a statement by the French authorities. Ballard was taken to a hospital for treatment after injuring one of his hands during the kidnapping. According to the authorities, part of the ransom was paid but was traced and seized. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated,
“Part of the ransom has been paid. Almost all of it has been traced, frozen, and seized. Ten individuals are in custody, nine men and one woman between the ages of 20 and 40, most of whom were already known to the law.”
Pascal Gauthier, Chairman and CEO of Ledger also released a statement that read,
“We are deeply relieved that David and his wife have been released and are now safe.”
Crypto Traders And Industry Figures Targeted
News of the kidnapping came out after rumors began circulating on social media that one of the co-founders of Ledger was kidnapped. According to unconfirmed reports, Eric Larchevêque was the victim. However, this turned out to be false. Gauthier stated at the time,
“Our top priority was always to allow law enforcement to do their jobs and protect the integrity of the investigation. We respected law enforcement requests around safeguarding critical details of the ongoing investigation and appreciated members of the press who did the same.”
The incident is part of an alarming trend of kidnapping and robberies targeting crypto traders and key industry figures as the bull market reaches its peak. Dean Skurka, the CEO of WonderFi, a publicly listed crypto holding company, was kidnapped in Toronto last year. Skurka paid a ransom of $720,000 before he was released by his kidnappers. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT talked about the uptick in robberies targeting crypto personalities, stating,
“Have seen an uptick in irl [real life] robberies targeting crypto traders located in Western Europe over the past few months. The cases all involve known people in the crypto community where they were held at gunpoint. As the rest of the cycle continues, be extra mindful of who you share your wins with and meet up with [in real life].”
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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