Masked intruders broke into the home of a French cryptocurrency worker overnight, held his family hostage, and forced him to transfer approximately €40,000 in digital assets before fleeing the scene.

Overnight Home Invasion in Pas-de-Calais

The incident took place in Vendin-le-Vieil, in France's Pas-de-Calais department. According to BFMTV, four masked men broke into the family home at around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday. The intruders detained the father, who works in the cryptocurrency industry, along with his partner and the couple's two children, aged 8 and 12.

Suspects Forced Crypto Transfer Before Fleeing

After entering the residence, the suspects reportedly searched the property, then isolated the father from the rest of the family and demanded his cryptocurrency holdings. Preliminary findings from the investigation indicate that the men compelled the father to surrender his access codes, allowing them to obtain roughly €40,000 worth of cryptocurrency in the attack. In practical terms, the attackers sought control of the assets by coercing the holder directly, obtaining his access codes during the intrusion while the entire family, including the two children, remained detained inside the home.

French media reports say the family was detained for more than three hours. During the ordeal, the father and his 12-year-old daughter were allegedly beaten. A source close to the investigation said the girl was struck in the face with a set of car keys. However, no life-threatening injuries have been reported.

The four suspects left the property after obtaining the cryptocurrency and are said to have fled in a car. Once the intruders departed, the family managed to break free, and the father called emergency services at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Firefighters responded to the family's report of the attack and assisted the victims, who were reportedly in shock after the incident. The timeline indicates that the emergency call was received roughly four hours after the reported break-in. Police then launched a search for the four suspects, who remained on the run.

French Police Continue Search After Home Attack

French authorities have opened an investigation into kidnapping and extortion by an organized group — charges that correspond to the reported detention of the family and the coerced transfer. Judicial police services from Pas-de-Calais and Nord are handling the case, and the French anti-cybercrime office is also assisting with the investigation. Officers are examining both the cryptocurrency transfer and the circumstances of the attack, giving the probe parallel tracks covering the physical invasion and the movement of digital assets.

As of the latest reports, the four suspects had not been arrested, and their identities had not been made public. The reported loss stands at approximately €40,000 worth of cryptocurrency — an amount that was initially unknown but later established. Authorities have not yet officially identified which cryptocurrency was transferred, and they have not disclosed whether investigators have recovered any of the funds.

The reported presence of two children — one aged 8 and one aged 12 — in the home during the invasion underscored the seriousness of the case. Police are still working to identify the suspects and establish the complete sequence of events, and additional information may be released as the investigation continues.

For now, reports indicate that the suspects entered during the early morning hours, restrained the family, compelled them to transfer cryptocurrency, and departed before the emergency call was made. The four suspects remained at large following the reported incident in Vendin-le-Vieil. The main open questions are whether the suspects will be identified and taken into custody, which cryptocurrency the family was forced to transfer, and whether any of the roughly €40,000 in assets will be recovered.