The matter was considered highly sensitive by the authorities. Tuesday morning, in Cher, the co-founder of Ledger – a cryptocurrency company – David Balland and his partner were kidnapped from their home. Their release was finally announced on Thursday, after intense work by the police.
“The gendarmerie was notified by one of the co-founders of the Ledger company, who received a ransom demand and a video suggesting that the couple had been kidnapped,” rewinds Colonel Marie-Laure Pezant in the columns of Le Figaro. This co-founder is Éric Larchevêque, known to the general public for his participation in the show “Who wants to be my partner? » on M6, which then received a video of David Balland's severed finger.
VideoRansom, crypto and severed finger: a look back at the kidnapping of David Balland and his partner
A major device is deployed, with reinforcement from the GIGN. “We received the alert on Tuesday at the beginning of the afternoon from the local gendarmerie,” explains Colonel Yannick, head of operations of the GIGN, at the microphone of BFMTV. “Two people were kidnapped and we know that a video was broadcast of these people, this is our basis for work,” he adds. A total of 230 gendarmes are mobilized, including 90 soldiers from the GIGN.
“The effectiveness of the gendarmerie system”
Upon their arrival in the Cher, the members of the GIGN divided up the tasks: “Some soldiers cleared the doubts, others looked for the hostage-taking location to be able to enter the apartment and carry out the arrests. There are also those who specialize in observation and discreet surveillance to try to locate the kidnappers,” explains Marie-Laure Pezant. National and regional negotiators were also mobilized to discuss with the hostage-takers, she said.
-This allows authorities to narrow the search around a house. “This is a rather isolated home, in a rural environment, in the commune of Châteauroux », in Indre, describes the head of operations of the GIGN. An operation is then launched with “maximum surprise effect”. The GIGN discovered David Balland there “tied up and shocked”.
His wife was found later in a parking lot in Essonne. “We decided to carry out an assault and this decision was the right one since we came across David Balland's partner and her kidnappers in the back of the vehicle,” says Colonel Yannick.
“This case demonstrates the effectiveness of gendarmerie system and our ability to ramp up quickly,” said Marie-Laure Pezant. “We combined investigations in the physical and digital world, intelligence and intervention on the ground,” she added. “This is an extraordinary case,” concluded this representative of the gendarmerie.
This Friday, seven people were presented to investigating judges with a view to their possible indictment for the kidnapping and sequestration of the couple.
