Another terrifying homejacking has hit France, but this time, a 12-year-old girl thwarted the armed men by calling the police in time to save her two parents.
The investigation has determined that the armed gang was targeting the father, who is a senior executive in a large financial company. He reportedly held a cryptocurrency wallet with at least €20,000 via the Waltio platform, which had been hacked a few months earlier. The father’s information had been released onto the dark web at the time.
The terrifying episode occurred on March 8 in the French city of Nancy but the French news outlet Valeurs Actuelles is only reporting on the details now.
Several individuals posed as police officers to gain access to the home. Among them, one was armed with a UZI type submachine gun. Around 8:30 a.m., the 41-year-old mother was returning from walking the dog when she was approached by three men who forcibly dragged her towards her apartment and began hitting her. Her husband then ran down the stairs to aid his wife but was also attacked.
The attackers may have thought they had the situation under control, but the 12-year-old daughter responded by dialing police. Police sources said that one of the gang members saw the daughter on the phone at the top of the stairs, at which point he decided to flee the house, followed by the other armed men.
In the rush to leave the scene, the suspects left a number of items behind, which investigators quickly recovered, including clamps which were meant to restrain their victims.
Now, police believe the head of the gang, Rayane B., has fled to Morocco.
One suspect, 32-year-old Fayssal K., was identified due to DNA and arrested on June 9. He lives in Seine-Saint-Denis. He tried to flee when the police arrived before being caught.
He confessed to the court that he drove the getaway vehicle in exchange for €1,000 and was indicted for attempted extortion with weapons by an organized gang, attempted kidnapping by an organized gang and criminal association. He remains in pre-trial detention.
Similar housejackings have ended on a much more horrifying note, including kidnappers cutting off the fingers of their victims to force a ransom. Wealthy individuals, celebrities, journalists, and business executives have been targeted in numerous cases over the years. As of late, suspected leaks and hacks have led to a wave of armed gangs targeting cryptocurrency holders, including executives at cryptocurrency firms.
🇫🇷 5 suspects arrested for brutal kidnapping of the father of a French cryptocurrency entrepreneur
They sliced off the father's finger, cut him allover his body, and tortured him repeatedly.
“Son of a b**ch, do you think we’re joking? We’re going to cut your fingers off… We… pic.twitter.com/6O4I2E512g
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 3, 2025
