RANSOM NOTE

Abducted Crypto Millionaire Loses Finger to Kidnappers Before Rescue

French special forces arrested 10 people in a massive operation to rescue David Balland and his wife.

French special forces have arrested 10 people connected to the abduction of millionaire crypto boss David Balland, who was kidnapped with his wife on Tuesday from their home in central France, reported The Telegraph. Balland, 36, and his wife Amandine were driven to different locations as their kidnappers demanded a $10 million ransom from Balland’s former company, according to reports. (Part of this money was paid, but has since reportedly been traced and recovered.) Police later found Balland bruised, bloody and missing part of one of his fingers—which was sent to one of Balland’s business associates along with the ransom note, according to the report. His wife was also found, unharmed. “There was real stress,” an investigative source told French news outlet Le Parisien. “We knew we had to move very quickly, and we had the feeling we had a team capable of going AWOL.” Though Reuters reports he had not worked at the company since 2021, Balland was the co-founder of Ledger, a French crypto company and leader in digital wallets and vaults to safeguard crypto assets. The company is valued at over $1.3 billion.