TLDR
- Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, attributes France’s cryptocurrency kidnapping epidemic to compromised tax databases
- Approximately 41 cryptocurrency holders abducted in France during early 2026 — averaging one incident every 60 hours
- Former tax administration employee Ghalia C. arrested in 2025 on suspicion of trafficking crypto investor information to criminal organizations
- Victims include Ledger co-creator David Balland and multiple families targeted across French regions
- Telegram chief vows to withdraw from France before granting government access to encrypted user communications
A disturbing pattern of violent crimes against cryptocurrency investors has emerged across France, with Telegram‘s founder Pavel Durov drawing direct connections between the escalating attacks and compromised government tax information.
In a statement shared on X, Durov revealed that approximately 41 individuals holding cryptocurrency assets have been abducted in France from the beginning of 2026. This translates to an average of one kidnapping incident occurring every 60 hours.
41 kidnappings of crypto holders in France in 3.5 months of 2026.
Why?
🥖 French tax officials selling crypto owners’ data to criminals (Ghalia C.) + massive tax database leaks.
Now the state also wants IDs and private messages of social media users.
More data = More victims.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) April 24, 2026
“More data = more victims,” Durov stated, highlighting what he characterized as widespread leaks from tax administration databases and the exploitation of crypto investor information by organized crime networks.
The security threat is clear-cut. Once criminals obtain personal identities, residential locations, and financial holdings, they can systematically identify high-net-worth cryptocurrency investors and execute targeted physical assaults.
Durov drew particular attention to Ghalia C., a former employee within France’s tax administration who was taken into custody in June 2025. Prosecutors allege she trafficked sensitive information about cryptocurrency investors and industry professionals to criminal syndicates. This intelligence was subsequently used to orchestrate violent crimes and extortion schemes.
High-Profile Cases
Multiple incidents have captured public attention and raised alarm. David Balland, co-creator of Ledger, was abducted alongside his spouse in January 2025. During the terrifying episode, Balland suffered severe hand injuries before law enforcement secured their release.
An April 2026 case in Burgundy involved the kidnapping of a woman and her 11-year-old child. Four individuals demanded 400,000 euros from the child’s father, identified as an entrepreneur in the cryptocurrency sector.
Another violent home intrusion in Ploudalmézeau resulted in a mother, her two children, and their grandparents being held against their will for multiple hours. The attacks have occurred throughout numerous French departments.
May 2025 witnessed an attempted daylight abduction of a crypto company CEO’s daughter in Paris. Additionally, a family member of another cryptocurrency investor was seized, with kidnappers demanding digital currency as ransom.
These episodes demonstrate an evolution from sporadic events to a systematic pattern of coordinated criminal activity specifically targeting the crypto community.
Law Enforcement Response
French government officials maintain they are addressing the security crisis with urgency. During Paris Blockchain Week on April 16, Jean-Didier Berger, minister delegate to the interior minister, confirmed that protective protocols for cryptocurrency investors are being implemented.
Blockchain analyst ZachXBT has also elevated these cases in his work. “I prioritize these types of cases as they have grown more frequent,” he wrote on X, encouraging victims to make immediate contact.
Durov, meanwhile, rejected suggestions that broader government surveillance capabilities would improve safety. He contended that expanded data access amplifies vulnerability and declared Telegram would exit the French market entirely before permitting French officials access to encrypted private communications.
By April 2026, French law enforcement has acknowledged active investigations and executed numerous arrests connected to organized criminal enterprises, with some operations extending beyond national borders.
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