Two months after the abduction and forcible confinement of the king of cryptocurrency, David Balland, and his partner, the terrible story of the victims to the gendarmes testifies to the violence of the event.
During the night of January 20 to 21, 2025, David Balland, co-founder of the company Ledger, world leader in Bitcoins fortunes, was removed at his home in the Cher. His kidnappers then claimed an important ransom in cryptocurrency in exchange for the tech boss. His ordeal will last thirty-six hours before an assault on the GIGN ends up ending it. The Parisian And Paris Match Today, reveal the freezing account of the 36 -year -old entrepreneur head of a company valued at nearly $ 1.5 billion for the gendarmes.
It all starts in the middle of the night, between 4 and 6 am, on the property of David Balland located in the hamlet of Méréau. The entrepreneur is awakened by a deaf noise and cries. “I have this load of adrenaline, that there is someone in the house, that Amandine [sa compagne ndlr.] is in danger, “he explains to the investigators. The couple sleeps in separate rooms, but connected by a secret corridor, including a removable trompe-l’oeil cabinet hides the entrance. And David Balland to continue, as The Parisian : “Opening the secret passage, I come face to face with someone who breaks me with a weapon.” According to him, five or six men surround his partner, relates Paris Match. “Your mouth! Calm down, obey and do what we tell you. Give us your phone!” They are launched. But as he tries to rebel, things are quickly clear: “If you go further, I break your neck.”
“Amandine, everything will be fine”
During his testimony, David Balland’s partner explains for his part having “seen David on the sofa, he had his phone. One of the guys saw the first name Éric and asked if it was Éric Larchevêque”, CEO and co -founder of Ledger, known to the general public to be sworn in the M6 show Who is my partner. “I thought I heard, ‘Who can save you? Who can save you?'” Relates Amandine. A white van is quickly brought to the courtyard of the couple’s property. The kidnappers swing Amandine and David Balland there. Objective, leave and go to a secret place. Pants are put on their heads to obstruct their vision. The couple is however separated after only a few minutes of drive.
Amandine is put in another van and taken to an isolated house in Vierzon. Installed in a room with tested walls, which makes its identification difficult, David Balland’s partner is seated and tied up. “One of the guys said to me: ‘Amandine, everything will be fine, we’re not going to hurt you, we’re not going to violate you, not sexually agreing …’,” she says to the investigators. On the other hand, she must shoot a video to her companion. The video is shot several times “because I was not frightened enough for them, I think,” said Amandine who says he was well treated during her detention. In addition to food and drinks, breaks in the toilet and a shower would have been offered. She is monitored by two individuals: one nicknamed “the Marseillais”, it seems in contact with the sponsor, the second, a certain Wissam, who would have done everything to protect her, reports The Parisian.
The Calvary of David Balland
Conversely, David Balland, transported to a farmhouse located in Montierchaume, in Indre, is insulted, struck, threatened. The entrepreneur saw a real ordeal. “This day is either it ends well and you come back in good health and you see your wife again, or you come back from a quadriplegic”, the threat “the Marseillais” by phone. David Balland must also make videos where he implores Éric Larchevêque, but also a certain “Joël”, to pay the ransom requested. All with a semi-automatic beretta pistol leaning on the temple and a hatchet on the shoulder, specifies Paris Match. His game is not considered convincing enough, “a big slap in the mouth” is inflicted on him, relates the ex-hostage to the investigators.
50 BTC, or 5 million euros, and 1,600 ETH, or 2.8 million euros, are initially claimed at midday from Éric Larchvêque. Then, the ransom is rounded at 100 BTC, or 10 million euros. Faced with the lack of response from the latter, a new SMS is sent to the one who has already alerted the police: “Well, I understood you want to see blood, no problem, immediately! I already see the front page: the big Eric Larchevêque has let one of his associates die so as not to pay 100 BTC. Frankly, Éric, you’re not cool. This phone will destroy after the first finger, we will not understand.
“When I see the pincer, my brain is tilt”
At the end of the day, David Balland’s left heard is finally cut using Russian pliers. A video is sent to Eric Larchevêque to motivate it more. “When I see the pincers, my brain is tilt, I understand that it is the beginning of the end and that they will start to mutilate me, that there is no more limit. The apprehension of the pain was horrible, I yelled in fear and pain,” said David Balland in his deposition. Faced with her howls, a new threat: “Far your mouth Frérot! If you continue, I cut your ear.”
Authorized to smoke a cigarette, David Balland thinks of living his last hours. But the next day, after a legal medicine expert validates the authenticity of mutilation, a transfer of three million euros in cryptocurrency was made. The atmosphere around David Balland relaxes. He is even disinfecting his injury to him with the help of a “Scorpio deodorant”. He will finally be released by GIGN in the hours that follow. Seven suspects were indicted and imprisoned. All said they were recruited by an unknown sponsor on social networks and was motivated by “money”.