Family held hostage in Vendin-le-Vieil: €40,000 in cryptocurrency extorted
Four individuals held a couple and their two children hostage at their home in Pas-de-Calais, extorting €40,000 in cryptocurrency before fleeing.
Hostage-taking at family home: four attackers flee after cryptocurrency extortion
In the night of Saturday 19 to Sunday 20 September 2026, a family of four people was held hostage at their home at 4 rue Simone Veil in Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais), according to france3-regions.franceinfo.fr. Four individuals broke into the house at 4 o'clock in the morning, dressed in black, before fleeing after stealing approximately €40,000 in cryptocurrency.
According to police sources cited by the media, the perpetrators first bound the wrists of the mother and the two children, then isolated the father in order to extort the sum from him. The hostage-taking lasted nearly three hours, during which the attackers moved back and forth between the different family members. The father, aged 40, was also subjected to violence.
The police launched their intervention during the night to help the victims. A significant police and rescue operation was deployed in front of the small family home, including flashing lights visible from the street.
At 7.50am, the father was in an ambulance, whilst the mother and children were still inside the home. The father was subsequently kept in place for standard procedures. The mother was treated by emergency services, as was a 12-year-old daughter, injured on the head, and an 8-year-old boy, who was shocked but unharmed, according to information gathered later in the morning by France 3 Hauts-de-France.
The four suspects had fled at the time of the authorities' intervention. No arrests had been reported immediately.
Source: Google News LU FR