Telegram's Durov Links France's Crypto Kidnapping Surge to Tax Data Leaks

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Telegram founder Pavel Durov has publicly blamed a wave of crypto-related kidnappings in France on what he describes as government tax data misuse and database leaks. Pointing to approximately 41 reported kidnappings of crypto holders in France since the start of 2026 — roughly one every 2.5 days — Durov linked the surge directly to a former French tax official, identified as Ghalia C., who was detained in June 2025 after allegedly selling data on crypto professionals and investors to criminals. That data was then used to facilitate physical attacks and extortion targeting crypto holders.

The most high-profile case to date involved Ledger co-founder David Balland, who was kidnapped alongside his wife in January 2025 and had his hand mutilated. More recently, a family in Ploudalmézeau was held captive during a home invasion, and on April 13, a mother and her 11-year-old child were kidnapped in Burgundy by four suspects who demanded a 400,000 euro ransom from the father, a crypto entrepreneur. The attacks are no longer limited to high-profile industry figures — ordinary families with crypto exposure are now being targeted.

Durov did not stop at identifying the problem. He warned that Telegram would rather exit the French market entirely than give what he called "corrupt bureaucrats" access to private messages, signaling a direct confrontation with French authorities over data access and user privacy.

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Pavel Durov is framing the surge in physical crypto attacks as a data governance failure rather than a purely criminal issue, shifting responsibility toward institutional handling of sensitive information