Three men in their twenties kidnapped a 74-year-old man from his home in Voiron on Jan. 25, demanding €3 million in cryptocurrency and torturing him for 16 hours.
The attackers slashed his face and severed a finger before realizing their target's son was a web developer, not a crypto millionaire.
French police arrested the suspects hours after releasing the victim on a roadside near Étoile-sur-Rhône in Drôme.
What Happened
The gang broke into the victim's home at 6 a.m., tying up three 17-year-olds who had rented an outbuilding for the night.
The victim's partner escaped detection by hiding in the attic throughout the ordeal.
Kidnappers drove the man to a bar's back room in Valence, filming torture sessions and sending encrypted videos to his son.
They demanded ransom payment in unnamed cryptocurrency despite the son having no significant digital assets holdings.
The gang released their captive at 11 p.m. the same day, pushing him from a vehicle onto the RN 7 roadside.
Investigators believe the three acted on behalf of an unidentified mastermind, according to preliminary findings.
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Why It Matters
The case adds to France's growing crypto kidnapping crisis, with over 20 similar attacks recorded since January 2025.
"These are extremely violent acts that demonstrate a rather blatant level of amateurism," the victim's family lawyer said.
The septuagénaire left hospital with "very deep scars, particularly on his face" and "the mindset of a survivor."
Courts charged all three suspects with kidnapping by organized gang, torture, barbaric acts, theft, and criminal conspiracy.
France leads Europe in crypto-related physical attacks as organized crime increasingly targets perceived digital asset wealth.
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