French police have arrested a group of men who abducted the father of a cryptomillionaire and demanded a ransom, Le Monde reports. The kidnappers demanded from €5 million to €7 million for his freedom.

On the afternoon of May 1 in Paris, the victim was forcibly put into a car by four men in ski masks.

A source close to the investigation told the media that in order to intimidate the victim's son, the kidnappers cut off the man's finger.

"There were fears that other injuries might have been caused" if the police had not searched the house, France24 quoted him as saying.

The ransom was not paid. Law enforcement officers on Saturday arrested four men between the ages of 20 and 27 in the Essonne area near Paris, where they were holding the abducted man. The driver was also arrested later.

The identities of both the detainees and the victims have not been disclosed. The victim's wife stated that her husband and son, who own a crypto marketing firm in Malta, had been subjected to threats related to cryptocurrencies in the past.

The incident followed the kidnapping in late January of French crypto billionaire, co-founder of the French Ledger company David Balland and his girlfriend with a ransom demand.

Balland's finger was also cut off for the purpose of intimidation and as proof that the criminals were not joking. He was released the next day, and his girlfriend was found tied up in the trunk of a car in Essen.

In December 2024, the father of a crypto influencer from Dubai was discovered in Normandy.: He was abducted, tied up and doused with gasoline.

Be careful and please take care of yourself.