Several people in custody after Swiss national kidnapped in France

No details were given of how long the young man, who is in his twenties, had been held captive. Keystone-SDA

Seven people are in French police custody on Thursday as authorities investigate the kidnapping and illegal detention of a young Swiss man, who was freed on Sunday in Valence during a police operation. The case is believed to be linked to cryptocurrencies.

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The suspects are due to appear later today at the specialised inter-regional court in Lyon, a source close to the case said, confirming a report in the French newspaper Dauphiné Libéré.

No details were given of how long the young man, who is in his twenties, had been held captive. The operation involved 150 officers from the national judicial police unit and the elite police tactical unit of the French gendarmerie.

Found tied up

According to Le Dauphiné Libéré, the young man was found tied up in a house near Valence train station. According to the regional daily, the tactical unit also intervened in a Valence snack bar on Tuesday.

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In recent months, there have been a number of kidnappings and attempted kidnappings linked to the cryptocurrency world. The series of kidnappings began in early January, when a 56-year-old man was found in the boot of a car near Le Mans, several hundred kilometres from his home in the Ain region of France.

According to several media reports, the man was the father of a Dubai-based cryptocurrency influencer who regularly posts videos of his earnings.

Severed finger

Then, at the end of January, Ledger co-founder David Balland and his partner were kidnapped from their home in Cher. Balland, who had his finger cut off, was freed during a police operation and his companion was found tied up in a vehicle.

In Paris on May 1, in the 14th arrondissement, the father of a man running a company specialising in cryptocurrencies based in Malta was abducted by four hooded men.

The victim, whose finger was cut off by the kidnappers and for whom a ransom of several million euros was demanded, was freed 58 hours later during an assault by the BRI (search and intervention brigade) on a house in Essonne.

A few days later, on May 13, a video that went viral captured the attempted kidnapping of the daughter and grandson of the CEO of the cryptocurrency company Paymium.

In each of these cases, which are ongoing, several suspects have been arrested, indicted and remanded in custody.

Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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