David Balland, co-founder of cryptocurrency wallet developer Ledger, was reportedly rescued during a police operation after being kidnapped in a ransom attack in France.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau Report on Friday. Prosecutors said the kidnappers contacted another Ledger co-founder and demanded a ransom payment in cryptocurrency.
His wife was found on Wednesday during a police operation involving France’s elite force, prosecutors said. Becaou said Ballard was taken to the hospital and received treatment for one of his hands, which was dismembered. Local newspaper Le Parisien Report The attackers severed Ballard’s finger and sent it to colleagues for ransom.
“We are reassured that David and his wife have been released and are now safe,” Ledger Chairman and CEO Pascal Gauthier said in a statement to Coindesk.
Rumors circulated on social media earlier this week that one of Ledger’s co-founders had been kidnapped. Reports that Eric Larchevêque, another co-founder of the company, was a victim are false. Coindesk reached out to Ledger for confirmation at the time, but the company did not comment.
“Our top priority has always been to allow law enforcement to complete their work and protect the integrity of the investigation,” said CEO Gaudier. “We respect law enforcement’s requests for critical details surrounding the ongoing investigation and appreciate the media’s member.”
The incident is yet another example of an alarming trend of robberies and crimes targeting cryptocurrency merchants and industry figures as the crypto bull market builds on wealth creation for investors. For example, Dean Skurka, who owns Wonderfi, one of Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, is the CEO of Wonderfi. kidnapping for ransom Last year in Toronto.
“The last few months have seen an uptick in IRL (real-life) robberies targeting cryptocurrency merchants located in Western Europe,” popular blockchain Sleuth Zachxbt posted on Telegram. “These cases all involve high-profile individuals who have been held at gunpoint in the cryptocurrency community. As the rest of the cycle continues, be extra careful with whom you share your wins and meet them (in real life).”
