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French police have arrested 6 suspects, including a minor, after kidnappers seized a magistrate and her mother in southeast France and demanded a cryptocurrency ransom. Prosecutors said the 2 victims escaped without any payment after an ordeal that lasted about 30 hours.
Investigators linked the case to a wider rise in ‘wrench attacks,’ where criminals use violence to obtain crypto funds. Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran said officers continued to look for any additional suspects.
The abduction began during the night of February 4 - February 5 in Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux near Grenoble, according to officials and local reporting. Attackers forced entry into the home and took a 35-year-old magistrate and her 67-year-old mother.
The kidnappers drove the victims to a garage in Bourg-lès-Valence, about 90 kilometers away, and held them there. Dran told reporters that the magistrate’s partner received a message and a photo of the victims along with a demand for a cryptocurrency ransom.
He said the captors threatened mutilation if the transfer did not happen quickly, but he did not confirm the amount demanded.
The two women escaped by making noise from inside the garage, prosecutors said. Dran described how a neighbor heard them and helped open the door, allowing them to get out and call for help. Emergency services took them to the hospital for treatment after the captivity.
Police launched a large search after the partner received the ransom message, including around 160 officers, Dran said. Investigators later detained four men and one woman, and they arrested a minor on Sunday afternoon, according to AFP reporting from Lyon.
A source close to the case said police arrested two suspects as they tried to take a bus toward Spain.
French law enforcement has faced repeated kidnappings tied to cryptocurrency demands since 2023, with victims often linked to the sector through relatives or business partners. Prosecutors and media reports have described both organized operations and copycat-style attempts, which can still involve severe threats.
Previous cases include the January 2025 abduction of Ledger co-founder David Balland. According to reports, attackers cut off a finger while demanding a cryptocurrency ransom. Authorities have also investigated other kidnappings tied to crypto families.
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