PANews February 3 News, according to French media reports, three men in their twenties were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and torturing a 74-year-old man. The incident occurred on the morning of January 25th in Voiron, Isère Province, southeastern France. The kidnappers attempted to extort $3.5 million worth of cryptocurrency from the victim's son but ultimately discovered that his son was not a cryptocurrency billionaire but an ordinary web developer.
Police stated that after the victim was kidnapped, he was subjected to nearly 16 hours of torture, including finger amputation and facial injuries. The kidnappers also took the victim to a back room of a bar to film abuse videos and sent them via encrypted messages to his son to demand ransom. After confirming the target was mistaken, the kidnappers released the victim that evening.
In recent years, France has seen an upward trend in kidnapping and violence related to cryptocurrencies. According to statistics, last year France reported 19 similar cases, including Ledger joint