In the Cher department, a sensitive affair had a happy ending. The co-founder of the company Ledger, specializing in hardware cryptocurrency wallets, was kidnapped, sequestered and finally released. His captors demanded a ransom in crypto. Significant resources have been mobilized, including the GIGN.
A delicate police operation, which went so far as to mobilize the GIGN, against a backdrop of kidnapping and demand for a ransom in cryptocurrency. This is the dark scenario that has played out since the start of the week in France, in Cher (center). A sensitive and risky affair, but whose outcome nevertheless turned out to be happy for the main victim.
Because David Belland, 45, was finally released on the day of January 22, 2025. A name little known to the general public, but which is more so in the tech world. The man is in fact the co-founder of Ledger, a French company specializing in physical cryptocurrency wallets, to secure its assets.
This release, confirmed to Numerama by the deputy prosecutor of the Paris public prosecutor's office, puts an end to a kidnapping and sequestration which began on the morning of January 21. David Belland, who was then at home in Cher, was taken by force by his captors, the prosecution specifies, then driven by car to another address, where he remained captive for several hours, in the vicinity of Vierzon.
Attempted crypto ransom demand
It was financial motivations that led this gang to attack the co-founder of this startup, in the hope of obtaining payment of a “ important » ransom in cryptocurrency — the amount is not indicated, nor the virtual currencies (bitcoin, ethereum, etc.) which could have been used to make the electronic transaction.
A sign of the criticality of the situation, the judicial authorities had asked the press to temporarily withhold the information in their possession, while the hostage was released – the search operations were then still in progress and the victim still in danger. Significant police resources were noted on January 21 by the local press.
-As France Bleu then pointed out, a disappearance of a person had been reported that day, leading to the deployment of law enforcement in Méreau, a small town near Vierzon. Already at that moment, “ discretion instructions » had been transmitted to residents, our colleagues noted.
The file was also sent to Paris, although it was initially in the hands of the Bourges Public Prosecutor's Office. Contacted on the morning of January 23 by Numerama, it confirmed that it had given up. The investigation, still ongoing, has mobilized and continues to mobilize significant police and judicial resources.
Thus, in addition to the participation of the GIGN, an elite unit of the gendarmerie, which specializes in the release of hostages and the fight against organized crime, the division for the fight against organized crime of the Paris prosecutor's office (JIRS) was involved, such as the national cyber unit of the gendarmerie as well as its research section in Bourges.
Acts that could lead to life imprisonment
If the main danger has since been averted with the release of David Belland, who “ was taken care of by emergency services » and required “ care », the investigations and the search for the kidnappers continued on January 23 – according to Le Parisien, several suspects were already placed in police custody.
Legally, the criminals risk particularly heavy penalties, the prosecution informed Numerama. In terms of the offense of kidnapping and sequestration by an organized gang to obtain the execution of a condition, in this case payment of a ransom in crypto, “ This is a crime punishable by life imprisonment. »
