Five suspects were found guilty in London of kidnapping and torturing French cryptocurrency milliona

Five men have been convicted of kidnapping French cryptocurrency millionaires and extorting US$150,000

The Inner City Crown Court of London has ruled that five men kidnapped two French cryptocurrency millionaires and detained them in an apartment in east London for more than two days. Authorities said the victim was subjected to violence and extortion, and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of $150,000.

Kidnapping and torture of cryptocurrency holders

Both victims were in their twenties and were living in Kensington at the time of the incident. Prosecution lawyer Heidi Stonecliffe KC said their luxurious image in front of outsiders may have attracted the attention of criminals who target cryptocurrency investors.

After the two men parked their rented black Mercedes-Benz in Shadwell, three masked gunmen and knives suddenly appeared, forced them back into the car, and drove them to an apartment on the east side of Rathborne in Canning Town. The nightmare began.

The victim was tied up with tape and cable ties, beaten, and socks stuffed in his mouth. During their 52 hours in captivity, the kidnappers poured boiling water on them, put out a cigarette in one of them's mouth, and repeatedly threatened to harm them unless they paid $150,000. The victims also claimed to have been deprived of food and one of them was forced to drink toilet water.

In the end, the kidnappers received US$30,000 worth of cryptocurrency. One victim was released and the other was taken away alone, after he later claimed he may have been "sold" to another gang that was trying to extort more ransom.

The Scotland Yard flight team traced the gang to a mobile phone left in a Mercedes Benz by the victim's friend, and found the crime scene.

Police launched a pursuit on residential streets, reaching speeds of 70 mph at one point. The three suspects-Julius George, Isaac Bakoya and Adel Sining-were caught by police after attempting to escape on foot after crashing the car. They were convicted of conspiracy to extort and illegal detention, and three others were convicted of illegal detention.

The investigation found that two cryptocurrency holders suffered extremely severe physical and psychological abuse, including extreme threats of violence and forced payment of ransom in exchange for release.

The alleged mastermind, Ibrahim Mohamed or "Nino," is believed to have directed the entire operation through WhatsApp and Snapchat, but is still at large. Another convicted member, Yasir Mohamed, was previously sentenced for drug crimes and possession of knives.

"Violent extortion" incidents against cryptocurrency investors are on the rise

Blockchain security company CertiK records that a total of 34 confirmed "violent extortion" incidents occurred in the first four months of 2026-that is, criminals forced victims to hand over cryptocurrency through physical coercion. This is a 41% increase from the same period in 2025. In France, since January 2026, authorities have recorded about 70 cases of cryptocurrency-related kidnapping or attempted extortion, with a total of 88 people charged.

Multiple attacks in France have been linked to data breaches by cryptocurrency tax platform Waltio, which allegedly exposed the personal information of about 50,000 users.

In another high-profile case, four men were sentenced to up to six and a half years in prison by the St Albans Crown Court for attacking a City employee with a wrench in Hertfordshire and transferring more than £ 10,000 from his account. Meanwhile, a Morocco court sentenced Mohamed Hamid Bajou to 25 years in prison for planning a series of kidnappings in France, including the 2025 kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland, during which one of Baland's fingers was cut off.

New York prosecutors are prosecuting two men-William Duplessie and John Woeltz-accused of torturing an Italian tourist for three weeks to obtain a Bitcoin password.

A series of violent incidents in Europe and the United States has renewed concerns about physical attacks on cryptocurrency investors, who are often seen as high-value targets because of their digital assets.