Crypto Worker's Family Held Hostage in Wrench Attack in Northern France
A family in the French town of Vendin-le-Vieil was held hostage by four masked men who broke into their home early Sunday morning.
The attackers bound a couple and their two children with tape, then separated the father from his family. The 40-year-old IT worker, who is employed in the digital currency sector, was taken to a separate room where he was forced to hand over his access codes.
The men stole approximately $46,000 worth of cryptocurrency, leaving the family bound and helpless for more than three hours before fleeing the scene. The victims' 12-year-old daughter was struck in the face with car keys during the ordeal.
French authorities have launched an investigation into kidnapping and extortion by an organized gang, and the case has been handed over to regional judicial police alongside France's anti-cybercrime office.