The daughter of a prominent cryptocurrency executive was the target of a brazen daytime kidnapping attempt on Rue Pache in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.
According to Le Parisien, three armed individuals tried to abduct the 34-year-old woman while she was walking with her 2-year-old child.
Posing as delivery personnel, the attackers emerged from a van marked with Chronopost logos and attempted to force the woman and her child into the vehicle. However, the victim escaped unharmed with the help of her partner and nearby bystanders.
The identity of the victims and the company involved has not been released at this time.
In a video footage recorded by a bystander from a nearby apartment, the father can be heard shouting, “Help! She’s pregnant!” His plea quickly attracted the attention of passersby, who rushed to assist.
NEW: 🇫🇷 This morning in Paris, three hooded men tried to kidnap a young woman accompanied by her 2-year-old child.
Footage shows the woman being wrestled to the ground and resisting being dragged into a waiting van, before her partner runs out and scares off the perpetrators.… pic.twitter.com/klh8f3bxNH
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) May 13, 2025
The attackers fled in the same white van they arrived in. The van was later found abandoned a few blocks away within the same arrondissement.
According to authorities, the child was exposed to tear gas and received medical attention.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office has referred the case to the Brigade de Répression du Banditisme (BRB), a specialized unit dealing with organized crime.
No arrests have been made, and the motive remains unclear. However, the victim’s familial link to a major cryptocurrency figure has prompted investigators to examine potential financial motives.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks targeting cryptocurrency executives and their families.
In January 2025, David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his wife were kidnapped from their home in central France. The kidnappers demanded a €10 million ransom in cryptocurrency, even going as far as severing one of Balland’s fingers to force his family’s compliance. French authorities successfully rescued the couple and arrested several suspects.
