Crypto Ransom Kingpin Busted in Global Takedown—Turns Out Crime Doesn’t Pay (After All)

Law enforcement just delivered a masterclass in disrupting crypto-fueled crime—and Wall Street bankers might want to take notes.

How they cracked the case:

- Followed the blockchain breadcrumbs (turns out laundering ransom demands in Monero isn’t as anonymous as they thought)

- Coordinated across 12 jurisdictions—because even digital criminals need to sleep somewhere

- Seized servers, wallets, and one very incriminating ledger titled ‘Kidnapping ROI’ (classy)

The kicker? This syndicate demanded ransoms in BTC—meaning every victim’s payment is now frozen at 2025’s depressed prices. Karma’s a bigger troll than Crypto Twitter.

• Crypto kidnapping mastermind Bajjou 24 is linked to a series of abductions targeting French cryptocurrency leaders.
• Noizat’s daughter fights off attackers, leading to increased protection for crypto leaders
• Over 25 arrests have been made in connection with a global crypto kidnapping network led by Bajjou.

Crypto kidnappings have risen, with a 24-year-old Moroccan, Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, suspected of carrying out a series of kidnappings against French cryptocurrency leaders. As reported by Le Monde, he was arrested in the Moroccan city of Tangier after French authorities had asked for his arrest after investigating him for months.

Bajjou has been charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment. He is thought to have organized the kidnapping of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his partner earlier in the year. Furthermore, Bajjou is under investigation for an incident where he tried to kidnap Pierre Noizat’s daughter.

Crypto Kidnapping Attempt Foiled

Noizat’s daughter was able to fight off the attackers during their attempted kidnapping. Together with nearby witnesses, she made the masked attackers enter their van before they left the scene. The entire incident was caught on camera, causing even more concern for the safety of crypto entrepreneurs.

En plein Paris, un homme a été violenté par des individus cagoulés, habillés tout en noir. Ils tentaient de l'enlever. Un homme a surgi, extincteur à la main, pour les faire fuir. →https://t.co/P0qV6PR40v pic.twitter.com/9f4r2Gi7ho

The French government has implemented enhanced security measures to safeguard the digital currency industry. Because of the attempted kidnappings, the authorities are giving additional protection to famous digital currency figures and their families to guard them from similar events in the future.

French police freed a digital currency entrepreneur’s father after being held hostage in a ransom plot for nearly €7 million. This successful rescue proved that French authorities are firmly committed to stopping online crimes related to cryptocurrencies.

Interpol Red Notice Issued

The authorities in many countries had been aware of Bajjou for quite some time. Interpol issued red notices in 2023 to seek his arrest for crimes including organizing kidnappings and crimes against people. The police believe that Bajjou recruited criminals on the Internet to participate in the abductions, indicating his role in running a wide-ranging crime network.

Source: Interpol

Officials in France are searching for another Moroccan suspect in his 40s, as he is apparently linked to Bajjou in the kidnappings. Authorities are investigating whether these arrests involve a criminal group targeting French digital currency leaders for financial gain.

French authorities have arrested more than 25 people in relation to these abductions. The group of suspects from different countries is accused of multiple offenses, such as kidnapping and abduction. By arresting these individuals, authorities have dealt a major blow to the networks responsible for these cryptocurrency attacks.

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