Ledger Lianchuang paid part of the crypto ransom after being kidnapped, and it has been traced and frozen

On January 24th, the Paris prosecutor held a press conference on Thursday evening, saying that Ledger co-founder David Balland and his wife were kidnapped from their home in central France early Tuesday morning and taken to two different locations by car to be imprisoned. During the kidnapping, the kidnappers contacted another Ledger co-founder and demanded a ransom payment in cryptocurrency, which has been partially paid.
The rescue operation, which involved more than 90 officers from GIGN, one of France's elite tactical police forces, ended up freeing David Balland and arresting his kidnappers. The next day, his wife was found strapped to a car, but unharmed. Ten suspects are being questioned by police. Prosecutors said almost all of the cryptocurrency paid to the kidnappers had been traced, frozen and seized.
Pascal Gauthier, chairperson and chief executive of Ledger, said in a statement: "We are deeply relieved that David and his wife have been released and are now safe. David has left Ledger since 2021 and is not currently holding any position with the company."