A couple and their two children, aged 8 and 12, were held and restrained inside their home in Vendin-le-Vieil, in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, overnight on September 19-20, 2026, in an apparent crypto kidnapping. Four suspects reportedly entered the residence and seized the family while threatening the father, who works in the cryptocurrency sector, with demands for a crypto transfer.

According to BFMTV, the prosecutor of Béthune said the criminals threatened the man to force a 40,000-euro crypto transfer. The four suspects fled the scene afterward and remain at large.

Details of the Overnight Attack

BFMTV learned of the case on Sunday from a police source. According to that source, the family was sequestered inside the residence overnight, and reports indicate the relatives were tied up until the suspects left. The two children were inside the home throughout the incident.

Reports place the start of the ordeal between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The father contacted emergency services at around 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, after the suspects had left the property.

The father was assaulted during the incident, and his 12-year-old daughter was also attacked. to a source close to the investigation, she was hit in the face with car keys. Reports describe both assaults as minor, and no other family member is reported to have been assaulted.

The prosecutor of Béthune said the criminals searched the home before making their demand. A separate account states the suspects isolated the father to obtain his wallet codes and fled after a 40,000-euro transfer. The reports differ on whether the transfer was completed, and the amount of any loss remains unknown at this stage. Whether any funds actually moved, and in what amount, stands as one of the central unanswered questions in the case.

Firefighters took charge of the family after the four criminals left the scene, finding the relatives in a state of shock.

Separately, investigators are considering whether the incident was linked to an attempt to obtain cryptocurrency. That line of inquiry remains under review.

Investigation and France's Crypto Kidnapping Trend

The investigation was opened for kidnapping and extortion in an organized gang. The classification reflects both the confinement of the family — held and restrained overnight — and the demand for a cryptocurrency transfer. As a result, the file covers two alleged offenses committed by a group.

Several services are handling the case. The interdepartmental judicial police services of Pas-de-Calais and Nord received the file. In addition, the case was entrusted to the French anti-cybercrime office, known as OFAC. Those services are now working together on the investigation. The assignment of an anti-cybercrime unit aligns with the reported digital dimension of the case, in which the demand centered on a cryptocurrency transfer rather than physical valuables.

Meanwhile, police are hunting the four suspects, who fled before firefighters reached the family. Investigators are also probing organized networks in connection with the kidnapping. The reports do not name any suspect, and authorities have not reported any arrests so far. With the four suspects at large and no one in custody, the key developments to watch include any identification or arrest of the suspects and clarification of whether the 40,000-euro transfer was actually completed.

The Vendin-le-Vieil kidnapping fits a broader pattern in France. Since 2023, the country has recorded 135 crypto-related kidnappings. That figure represents nearly 80 percent of Europe's total, placing France well ahead of other European countries. In a case where the reported demand centered on a crypto transfer and the father works in the sector, the numbers point to a risk that extends beyond digital holdings to the physical security of people in the industry — and their families.