Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped and a cryptocurrency ransom was demanded. Sounds like they cut off one of his fingers and sent it with the ransom demand.
He was rescued by GIGN and multiple suspects are in custody.
Discussion
Yikes..
Your Spidey senses were correct yesterday…
🙏
Bruhhhh wtf
woah. thats nuts
And that retard spanish PM wants to end anonymity and the other from Europol wants encrypted messaging apps to release their data... JC! Hope the dude is OK!
Shit.
A little ironic being that this company leaked all their customer's physical addresses. Sounds like their priorities weren't 100% in order.
Wow…
Spooky stuff.
Oh, the irony... How many Ledger users were attacked due to their Data Breach? How many people are at risk of being kidnapped from now on because of Ledger?
Scary stuff.
Translated to english:
Co-founder of cryptocurrency company Ledger kidnapped and then released after a highly sensitive operation
A sensitive manhunt is being conducted this Thursday by the GIGN (National Gendarmerie Intervention Group) following the disappearance of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, a company specializing in cryptocurrency. While the hostage has been found, several individuals are in police custody, and significant searches are ongoing.
The operation is described as highly sensitive. Media outlets have been asked to temporarily refrain from reporting on the situation while lives were at stake. For the past 48 hours, the national gendarmerie, under the direction of the Inter-specialized Jurisdiction (Jirs) of the Paris prosecutor's office, has been discreetly tracking down the perpetrators of David Balland's kidnapping. The man disappeared on Tuesday in Vierzon (Cher), abducted by a violent commando demanding a large ransom from his relatives or associates.
A first operation, carried out by the GIGN and described as particularly forceful, successfully located David Balland alive late Wednesday afternoon. "The victim had been taken by his captors in a car and driven to another location, where he was held captive," the Paris prosecutor's office stated in a press release. David Balland has been "taken care of by emergency services" and is expected to "receive medical attention." Several suspects have been placed in police custody among this criminal organization, which includes various intermediaries. This Thursday morning, investigations are ongoing "with the aim of identifying and apprehending all the perpetrators of this crime."
"I have never seen anything like this"
Initially opened by the Bourges prosecutor's office, the investigation was quickly transferred to the Jirs in Paris due to the sensitivity of the case and the suspects' modus operandi, which may involve organized crime. The investigations are being conducted by gendarmes from the Bourges research section, assisted by several gendarmerie units. The inquiry is focused on "kidnapping and unlawful confinement in an organized group to obtain the execution of a condition: the criminals indeed demanded the payment of a significant ransom in cryptocurrency," the Paris prosecutor's office explained. This is a crime that carries a life imprisonment sentence.
Since Tuesday evening, several residents of Méreau and Vierzon had reported an unusual deployment of law enforcement on social media. Rumors had circulated mentioning the kidnapping of Éric Larchevêque, a high-profile businessman with whom David Balland co-founded Ledger. This information was incorrect: Larchevêque, who is also a member of the jury for the show "Qui veut être mon associé?" on M6, was not targeted by the kidnappers. Meanwhile, the mayor of the town of Méreau (Cher) told Le Parisien on Wednesday evening that he had "no information" on the matter. "There are still law enforcement officers here tonight; they spent part of the night on site," he indicated. "It must be a fairly serious incident, as I have never seen anything like this in my town," he added.
According to information available on his LinkedIn profile, David Balland is an expert in cryptocurrencies. Described as a friendly and discreet technician, he is credited with helping to make Ledger, which he co-founded in 2014, a unicorn in the cryptocurrency sector in France. Previously, he had set up Chronocoin, a platform that allowed users to buy Bitcoins with a credit card and receive them at home through a physical wallet.
As cryptocurrencies reach unprecedented levels—Bitcoin has recently hit new records—David Balland may have been targeted due to his position at Ledger and his proximity to Éric Larchevêque (the 391st richest person in France, according to Challenges magazine).
Damn. Did they get his address off the Ledger leak?
Omg. Prayers
French companies shall stay as fashion brands, that’s their strength
More of this is expected and that's what nostr:nprofile1qqsx8zd7vjg70d5na8ek3m8g3lx3ghc8cp5d9sdm4epy0wd4aape6vspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsq32amnwvaz7tmhda6zumn0wd68ytnsv9e8g7g9pux3g keep warning us about in his podcast. Stay low key. Don't wear Bitcoin swag and don't talk about your Bitcoin among people you don't know.
If you're already publicly known figure, regularly covering Bitcoin, act accordingly about your security.
Cut off his finger? Damn.
Yikes. This gives a whole new meaning to the 🤙 symbol.
This website is cancer. Here is the translation:
Co-founder of cryptocurrency company Ledger kidnapped and released after highly sensitive operation
A sensitive manhunt is being conducted this Thursday by the GIGN after the disappearance of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, a company specializing in cryptocurrency. While the hostage has been found, police custody is underway and major searches are continuing.
By Vincent Gautronneau , Jérémie Pham-Lê , Jean-Michel Décugis and Paméla Rougerie
January 23 , 2025 at 12:36 p.m. , modified January 23, 2025 at 3:29 p.m.
The operation is described as ultra-sensitive. So much so that the media were asked to temporarily keep quiet about what was going on while lives were at stake. For 48 hours, the national gendarmerie, under the direction of the Inter-specialized Jurisdiction (Jirs) of the Paris prosecutor's office, has been conducting a discreet hunt to find the perpetrators of the kidnapping of David Balland, co-founder and partner of Ledger, a start-up specializing in the cryptocurrency sector . The man disappeared on Tuesday in Vierzon (Cher), kidnapped by a violent commando who had since demanded a large ransom from their relatives or associates.
An initial operation, led by the GIGN and described as particularly muscular, allowed David Balland to be found alive late Wednesday. "The victim had been taken by his captors in a car and driven to another address, where he was held captive," the Paris prosecutor's office stressed in a press release. David Balland was taken "into the care of emergency services" and must "receive treatment." Several suspects were taken into custody from this criminal organization that includes various intermediaries. This Thursday morning, investigations are continuing "with the aim of identifying and arresting all the perpetrators of this crime."
"I've never seen that"
Initially opened at the Bourges public prosecutor's office, the investigation was very quickly transferred to the Paris Jirs in view of the sensitivity of the case and the modus operandi of the suspects, who could be involved in organized crime. The investigations are being conducted by the gendarmes of the Bourges research section, assisted by several units of the gendarmerie. The investigation is open for "kidnapping and sequestration by an organized gang to obtain the execution of a condition: the criminals in fact demanded the payment of a large ransom in cryptocurrency, explains the Paris public prosecutor's office. This is a crime carrying a life sentence."
Since Tuesday evening, several residents of Méreau and Vierzon had reported an abnormal deployment of law enforcement on social media. Rumours had been circulating for a time about the kidnapping of Éric Larchevêque, a high-profile businessman with whom David Balland founded Ledger. This was incorrect information: the latter, who is also a member of the jury of the show "Who wants to be my partner?" on M6, was not targeted by the kidnappers. For his part, the mayor of the town of Méreau (Cher), told Le Parisien on Wednesday evening that he had "no information" on the subject. "The police are still here tonight, they spent part of the night there," he said. "It must be a pretty serious incident, because I've never seen anything like it in my town," he added.
According to the information available on his LinkedIn profile, David Balland is a cryptocurrency expert. Described as a friendly and discreet technician, he is said to have contributed to making Ledger, which he co-founded in 2014, the unicorn of cryptocurrency in France. Before that, he had set up Chronocoin, a platform that allowed people to buy Bitcoins with a credit card and receive them at home via a physical wallet.
As cryptocurrencies reach unprecedented levels – Bitcoin has broken new records in recent days – David Balland could have been targeted because of his position at Ledger and his proximity to Éric Larchevêque (391st richest person in France, according to Challenges magazine).
Didn't Ledger deny this earlier?
How did criminals know who he was and where he lived? was he waring something like this maybe?
There’s a joke in here somewhere. 🤔
A bunch of fuckin amateurs
stay strong brother, at least they didnt cut your dong off.
WTH?
France, that country... Same happened to Telegram's owner, no? 🤷🏻
I’d send him this link but France
https://www.amazon.com/TFNUO-Defense-Accessories-Withstand-Tension/dp/B0BV23FH9Y/
Fuck! They cut off his fingers?!