Ledger co-founder David Balland has reportedly been released by kidnappers after he was taken from his home and held hostage for a large crypto ransom.
The Paris prosecutor’s office shared details of the kidnapping today. According to French publisher L’Yonne Républicaine, the office stated that he was kidnapped in the early hours of Tuesday from a house in Cher and driven to another address where he was held.
France’s national police force, including the Bourges research section and National Cyber Unit, reportedly “enabled the release of David Balland on January 22, who was taken into care by emergency services and required treatment.”
Investigations are reportedly still ongoing as officials work to identify and arrest the alleged perpetrators who could now face life sentences.
Read more: Doxxed crypto hackers ‘Airbnb hopping’ to avoid kidnappers and rivals, report
Rumors circulated yesterday that it was Balland’s Ledger co-founder Éric Larchevêque who had been kidnapped.
However, a source allegedly close to Larchevêque, Journalist Grégory Raymond, claimed, “Eric is safe, it’s the only thing I can communicate at the moment. I’m in the process of checking the information.”
On Thursday morning, Raymond clarified further, “David Balland, co-founder of @Ledger, has been released after being kidnapped on Tuesday.
“To avoid jeopardizing the ongoing investigation, we decided not to reveal anything about what happened in the last few hours.
“Please note: It is not yet known whether other victims are still being held by the kidnappers.”
A tweet from Coin Academy’s French-language X account had apparently started the rumor about Larchevêque. The post was deleted but the publication didn’t issue a correction.
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