Kidnapping and Torture: Crypto Extortionists Sever Victim's Finger in Paris

In a shocking incident in Paris, a group of criminals has reportedly kidnapped the father of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur as part of an extortion scheme demanding millions of euros. The situation escalated to a horrifying level when the abductors severed one of the victim's fingers to reinforce their demands.

According to French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, law enforcement agencies executed a commendable operation that led to the rescue of the victim and the arrest of the suspected perpetrators. The suspects, five men aged between 20 and 27, were apprehended during the operation, and the injured individual received medical attention from emergency services.

Reports indicate that the kidnappers would have inflicted further harm had the police not intervened in time, as stated by sources within the police force. The entrepreneur, who operates a cryptocurrency business based in Malta and France, became the target of this violent act when four masked individuals forcibly pulled his father into a delivery van in front of witnesses on a Friday morning.

The criminals demanded a ransom between five and seven million euros, but it is reported that no ransom was paid. Prior to the kidnapping, the family had allegedly received threats. The public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the matters of kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and torture.

This incident follows a similar case from three months ago, where a co-founder of the cryptocurrency firm Ledger and his wife were also kidnapped. In that incident, the abductors demanded approximately ten million euros in Bitcoin and similarly resorted to mutilation as a means to pressure the victims. The police were successful in rescuing both individuals and apprehending seven suspects involved.

The increasing trend of violent extortion cases involving cryptocurrency entrepreneurs has raised significant concerns within the community and among law enforcement agencies. The nature of cryptocurrency transactions, often anonymous and difficult to trace, has made these individuals particularly vulnerable to such criminal activities.

As authorities continue their investigation, they aim to uncover the broader network behind these extortion schemes and enhance protective measures for those within the cryptocurrency sector.