Another major crypto kidnapping happened in France, but the victim has been rescued. Authorities arrested seven individuals over the forced detention of a Swiss man in his twenties.
This is a developing case. French police haven’t released extensive information about the victim or alleged perpetrators. Still, if this heralds another wave of violent crypto crimes, it could severely disrupt the local industry.
Crypto Kidnappings Continue In France
The spree of crypto kidnappings across France shocked the world a few months ago, especially because these incidents continued after law enforcement reportedly arrested the mastermind.
Today, local newspapers reported another incident, which thankfully had a happier ending:
Specifically, another major crypto kidnapping happened in France, but the authorities have apparently foiled it.
A young Swiss man was abducted and held prisoner in Valence (not to be confused with Valencia, the famous city in Spain). Police arrested seven suspects in two raids involving 150 officers.
Could Another Panic Happen?
Unfortunately, there are many unanswered questions so far. We have no idea, for example, how long this Swiss citizen was held prisoner or even what his connection to the crypto industry actually is.
Recent kidnapping events have targeted founders, CEOs, influencers, etc, but police are still keeping identifying details under wraps.
The young man himself was found tied up in a house near a train station. Did France’s authorities proactively rescue this kidnapping victim, or did he pay a ransom?
In other recent incidents, apparent escapees actually paid their attackers to win their freedom.
Police rescued the man from this house this weekend, but raided a local restaurant two days later. This may have been the site of the actual arrests; it’s unclear how or when the authorities captured these seven suspects.
More importantly, do these perpetrators have any connection to the kidnappings across France that took place a few months ago? There are two scenarios, both bad.
Either a few criminals from the first wave remain at large and reorganize to carry out these attacks, or there’s a copycat. After all, illegal crypto tactics are circulating widely and evolving right now.
A few months ago, France entered a great panic over these kidnappings, with senior government officials taking an interest in the security precautions.
If another spree of incidents starts happening, it could adversely impact Web3 businesses across the entire nation.
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