Overview

• The Swiss victim in his twenties was held from August 28 to 31 and rescued on Sunday near Valence in a GIGN-led operation, according to the Lyon prosecutor.
• Roughly 150 gendarmes from Drôme units, the UNPJ and Grenoble investigators took part, with an initial assault at a Valence snack-bar and the victim later found tied up near the TGV station.
• Seven suspects, including a 17-year-old, were presented to the JIRS in Lyon, placed under formal investigation and remanded in custody.
• Authorities report the captors demanded payment in cryptocurrency, while sources describe the victim’s connection to crypto as indirect and his reasons for being in Valence as unclear.
• Officials link the incident to a recent series of France-based kidnappings tied to the crypto sector, some involving mutilation and multi‑million‑euro ransom demands.