Update of January 23, 2025 - 1 p.m.
The Paris prosecutor's office has confirmed the identity of the person who was kidnapped in Vierzon. It is indeed David Balland, one of the founders of Ledger. The man was kidnapped from his home in Méreau on January 21, 2025.
After being forcibly put into a car, he was held captive for 24 hours. David Balland was released this Wednesday, and must receive treatment. The kidnappers cut off one of the captive's fingers as part of a ransom demand in cryptocurrencies.
The police are currently looking for all the people involved in the kidnapping. According to the public prosecutor's office, "the sections in charge of organized crime and cybercrime of the Paris public prosecutor's office are pooling their complementary specialties to elucidate the case."
——————————————————————
This Wednesday, January 22, 2025, a large deployment of gendarmes took place in Vierzon, in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region. During the afternoon, the gendarmes intervened in a house along the Berry Canal, in the city center. A day earlier, gendarmes from the research section had already burst into a house in the south of the city. A helicopter was seen crisscrossing the area. Everything suggests that the police are looking for someone.
Vierzon is home to the headquarters of Ledger, the French unicorn that designs and manufactures wallets to protect cryptocurrencies. It didn't take long for it to become clear that the ongoing police operations directly or indirectly concern the group.
No, Eric Larchevêque has not been kidnapped
Rumors quickly spread on social media. Some Internet users began to claim that Eric Larchevêque, one of Ledger's co-founders, had been kidnapped. The French company quickly denied this information. Ledger assured several journalists that Eric Larchevêque was not in danger. Our colleagues at France Bleu assure that they are able to guarantee "that he is not the victim of kidnapping, after having spoken with several sources".
For his part, Raphaël Block, from The Big Whale, indicates that Larchevêque "is not directly concerned by what appears to be a kidnapping/sequestration near Vierzon". Interviewed by journalist Damien Licata Caruso, Ledger explained that this is an "ongoing case that affects the security of a person".
A cryptocurrency extortion attempt?
It seems that one of the co-founders of the Ledger group was indeed the victim of a kidnapping. According to information obtained by Le Berry Républicain, it is David Balland, one of the men behind the creation of Ledger, who is at the heart of the police operation. The daily newspaper assures that the gendarmes are currently investigating the disappearance of the entrepreneur. Questioned by us, Ledger refused to comment on the case.
While the investigation continues, it is possible that David Balland has found himself in the crosshairs of criminals wanting to extort cryptocurrencies from his relatives or associates. The number of violent incidents related to digital assets has also been on the rise in recent months. On New Year's Eve, the father of a crypto influencer, TeufeurS, was kidnapped in France. The attackers were hoping to negotiate a ransom in cryptocurrencies, but the police were able to trace them. Another example is the kidnapping of the wife of an influencer specializing in trading in Brussels. The young woman was saved after a chase with Belgian police. A month earlier, Dean Skurka, CEO of the crypto holding company WonderFi, was held captive for several hours in Toronto.
0 Comments