Crypto kidnapping in London ends with five convictions

Two French crypto investors have been held captive in London for more than 52 hours in a kidnapping and extortion case that ended with five men convicted after the victims were forced to transfer $30,000 in cryptocurrency.

Prosecutors said the victims were tortured and threatened during the ordeal, while the alleged mastermind remains at large. Police rescued the victims after tracing a forgotten mobile phone and arrested several suspects following a high speed chase.

The Daily Mail, citing proceedings at Inner London Crown Court, reported that the two French cryptocurrency investors, both in their 20s, were abducted while visiting London and subjected to more than two days of confinement, violence and threats before officers from the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad rescued them.

Prosecutors told the court the victims' lavish lifestyle, much of it documented on social media, may have drawn the attention of the group behind the attack. The prosecution argued that their public online presence made them attractive targets for criminals looking to extort digital assets.

Convictions follow London crypto kidnapping

A jury found Gerson Borges and Mohamed Osman guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment, while Julius George, Isaac Bakoya and William Adebisi were convicted of false imprisonment. The defendants were cleared of kidnapping, possessing an imitation firearm and sexual assault charges.

Court proceedings also identified Ibrahim Mohamed, known as "Nino," as the alleged organizer of the operation. Prosecutors said he directed members of the group from overseas through WhatsApp and Snapchat and remains at large.

One of the victims alleged that he had been sexually assaulted during the ordeal. The jury acquitted the defendants on those allegations, but UK reporting restrictions prevent identification of two defendants because of laws protecting alleged victims in sexual offence cases.

Victims said torture was used to force crypto transfers

According to evidence presented in court, the victims traveled from France to London and were staying in Kensington before arranging to buy cannabis in east London. After leaving their rented Mercedes in Shadwell, prosecutors said they were confronted by three masked men carrying a gun and a knife before being forced back into the vehicle and driven to an apartment in Canning Town.

The victims told investigators they were held inside the flat for about 52 hours. During that time, they said they were stripped naked, bound with tape and cable ties, beaten, burned with cigarettes and scalded with boiling water, including on their genitals.

Prosecutors said the gang also threatened to mutilate them, force them into sexual acts and attack one victim's girlfriend unless they handed over cryptocurrency. The court heard the group initially demanded $150,000 in crypto. The victims ultimately transferred about $30,000 before the attackers concluded no more funds were immediately available.

Evidence presented during the trial stated that one victim was released, while the second remained captive. In a recorded police interview played to jurors, the remaining victim said he believed he had been "sold" to another criminal group that intended to continue the extortion.

The victims also described harsh treatment during their confinement. Court testimony stated they received only one spicy chicken wing from a KFC meal while members of the gang ate the remaining food. One victim also alleged he was forced to drink toilet water.

Police tracked the gang through a forgotten phone

The prosecution said the investigation turned after a friend who had traveled with the victims escaped during the ambush. Although he was pulled from the Mercedes by the attackers, his mobile phone remained inside the vehicle without the gang noticing. After reaching a McDonald's in Earl's Court, he persuaded a security guard to call emergency services.

Using the phone's location together with CCTV footage, officers from the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad identified the location where the victims were being held. Police intercepted the suspects after a vehicle pursuit through residential London streets that reportedly reached speeds of about 70 mph.

When officers rescued one of the victims from the suspects' car, prosecutors said his hands were still tied and visible cigarette burns covered parts of his face, including his forehead and cheek.

The victims later declined to testify in person during the trial, telling the court they remained afraid of the group after the attack.

Crypto kidnapping cases continue to draw attention

The London convictions add to a series of violent crimes targeting cryptocurrency holders, with criminals increasingly relying on physical coercion rather than online attacks to steal digital assets. Earlier this year, two Texas brothers pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal case after admitting to holding a Minnesota family at gunpoint for more than eight hours and forcing the transfer of more than $8 million in cryptocurrency. Investigators later traced the suspects using physical evidence, rental records and surveillance footage.

Security researchers commonly describe such incidents as "wrench attacks," where victims are threatened or assaulted to surrender access to digital assets instead of having their wallets hacked remotely.

France has also experienced a rise in crypto-linked violent crime. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on June 30 that authorities had recorded 77 cases involving kidnapping, unlawful detention, extortion or attempted offences connected to the crypto sector in 2026, compared with 45 cases during 2025. Nuñez said around 200 people had been arrested following attacks or preventive operations, while the government has expanded cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the country's digital asset industry. French officials have also warned that organized criminal groups increasingly target individuals whose crypto wealth is visible through social media or public activity.

The circumstances described by prosecutors in the London case closely match that pattern, with the court hearing that the victims' online display of wealth may have contributed to them being selected by the gang.

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