Crypto Home Invasion: French Family Bound Overnight, Father Beaten, Girl Hit With Keys; Suspects Flee

A man who works in cryptocurrency, his partner and their two children, aged 12 and 8, were bound and held hostage in their home for more than three hours as the father was beaten and the 12-year-old girl was struck in the face with car keys. Four suspects fled the property with nearly €40,000 in cryptocurrency, according to French reports.

The attack happened in Vendin-le-Vieil, Pas-de-Calais, during the night of Saturday, 19 September, into Sunday, 20 September, according to BFMTV and Le Parisien. Le Parisien, citing a police source and confirming details reported by La Voix du Nord, said the suspects were hooded and gloved when they entered the home.

The father alerted emergency services at about 8am on Sunday after the suspects had left in a vehicle, BFMTV reported. No arrests had been reported at the time of the initial coverage.

Attackers Forced Father To Hand Over Codes, Police Say

Investigators are considering whether the man's work in the cryptocurrency sector made the family a target, BFMTV reported. The outlet said obtaining cryptocurrency was clearly being considered as a possible motive, but its initial report said the financial loss was not known.

Le Parisien, citing a police source and confirming La Voix du Nord, later reported that early inquiry findings indicated the suspects forced the father to hand over access codes and obtained nearly €40,000 in cryptocurrency. The nearly €40,000 figure came from that later police-sourced account and had not been established by a court.

BFMTV's initial report had said the financial loss was unknown, making attribution important as investigators continued to establish what happened.

BFMTV, citing a source close to the investigation, reported that the father was assaulted and that his 12-year-old daughter was struck in the face with car keys. The reports did not publicly identify the family or provide further details about their injuries.

Police were investigating who carried out the attack, how the family came to be identified and whether the man's cryptocurrency work was the reason the home was targeted. The four suspects fled before emergency services were contacted and remained at large in the latest reports.

Other French Crypto Cases Involved Family Members

The Vendin-le-Vieil case follows several other French investigations involving people connected to cryptocurrency, but the cases have not been publicly linked. On Jan. 25, a 74-year-old man in Voiron, Isère, was abducted and held for about 16 hours after four men entered his home, according to TF1.

His son, described as a cryptocurrency investor, received a demand for €3 million in cryptocurrency, while the victim was eventually released in Loriol, about 115 kilometres from Voiron. Four suspects were arrested, and all four were later placed under formal investigation.

On 20 April, five relatives were held and tied up at a home in Ploudalmézeau, Finistère. The victims were the grandparents, their daughter and her two children, while the children's father, who worked in cryptocurrency, was away from the property.

A digital wallet was taken, with Le Parisien later reporting that it contained about €700,000; four men were subsequently placed under formal investigation, with two remanded in custody.

Those cases involved different suspects and circumstances. Police have not publicly said they were connected to the Vendin-le-Vieil investigation.

Investigators Probe Link to Crypto Work

The common thread being examined by investigators is physical access to people or homes associated with cryptocurrency rather than a conventional remote theft. In Vendin-le-Vieil, the possibility remains that the suspects targeted the family because of the father's work and sought access to cryptocurrency inside the home.

The four suspects remained at large after fleeing the property. Investigators were continuing to establish their identities, the circumstances of the attack and whether the cryptocurrency connection was the reason the family was targeted.