- David Balland was kidnapped on the morning of January 21, 2025, at his home in the Cher.
- Balland was taken by his captors in a car and transported to another location, where he was held captive
- France’s national police, alongside the Bourges research section and National Cyber Unit, worked together to ensure the release of Balland on January 22,
On January 22, 2025, rumours spread that David Balland, the co-founder of Ledger, a cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer, had been kidnapped for Bitcoin ransom. The rumours caused panic about his safety and those close to him.
The rumour also sparked a flurry of reactions. Journalist Grégory Raymond later wrote around mid-morning New York time that Ledger co-founder Éric Larchevêque said, “Eric is safe. It’s the only thing I can communicate at the moment. I’m in the process of checking the information.”
Later in the day, it was confirmed that Balland was indeed kidnapped, and Larchevêque had started an active investigation with law enforcement in France.
How Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped
On January 23, 2025, the Paris prosecutor’s office released details of how Balland was kidnapped. According to the statement, as quoted by French media outlet L’Yonne Républicaine, Balland was abducted on the morning of January 21, 2025, at his home in Cher.
“The division for combating organized crime of the Paris prosecutor’s office is investigating the kidnapping of David Balland, partner and co-founder of the company Ledger, in the early morning of January 21, 2025, at his home in Cher. The victim was taken by his captors in a car and transported to another location, where he was held captive.”
How Ledger co-founder David Balland was released
According to the statement, the country’s national police, alongside the Bourges research section and National Cyber Unit, worked together to ensure the release of Balland on January 22, a day after his abduction. He needed treatment and was taken into the custody of emergency services after being released.
The prosecutor’s office added that “The national gendarmerie was fully mobilized, from the Bourges research section to the National Cyber Unit. Their efforts led to the release of David Balland on January 22, with him being attended to by emergency services and requiring medical care.”
Investigation into the incident is still ongoing, said the prosecutor’s office, and the offences are that of “kidnapping and unlawful confinement by an organized group to obtain the fulfilment of a condition: the perpetrators indeed demanded the payment of a significant ransom in cryptocurrency. This is a crime punishable by life imprisonment.”
It added that “The operation involved GIGN forces and continues to engage investigators with the aim of identifying and arresting all those responsible for this crime. The sections specializing in organized crime and cybercrime within the Paris prosecutor’s office are combining their complementary expertise to solve the case.”
Pastor may spend 20 years in jail for scamming members with crypto scheme he received ‘in a dream’
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Francier Obando Pinillo, an acclaimed pastor, may spend up to 20 years in jail for using his position to defraud members of his congregation with a crypto scheme he called Solano Fi.
Pinillo, a 51-year-old resident of the United States of America, convinced his members to ‘invest’ in the fraudulent crypto scheme, assuring them that the idea of the scheme had come to him in a dream and that it was safe.
