Popular crypto millionaire and investor Evan Luthra revealed shocking details of a brutal kidnapping last year in Oxford, England. Five masked men forced him to hand over more than $2 million in crypto in 30 minutes.
Police never named the victim publicly. In an exclusive interview, Luthra says the costliest stretch came later. He spent hours without a phone while the stolen funds moved.
30 Minutes of Nightmare
Luthra, a Forbes 30 Under 30 investor, was in London for Halloween last year. The trip also included an award at the House of Lords and a speech at Oxford University.
On November 4, 2025, he left the Oxford event with four friends. A private driver, booked through an acquaintance, had already been driving him for several days.
On the way back to London, the driver suddenly turned into a secluded lane lined with trees. Five masked men climbed into the car, punched Luthra, and told the group they were only there for him.
“Within the first ten seconds, I realised this was a kidnapping. I also realised I was going to lose millions of dollars,” Luthra told BeInCrypto.
He chose not to resist.
“There were five guys in my kidnapping, so I gave them everything,” he said.
The kidnappers first took his special-edition Richard Mille watch, which police valued at around £450,000. They then unlocked his phone using his Face ID.
From his Binance account, they withdrew several assets worth just over $1.5 million. They also drained roughly $600,000 in Ethereum (ETH) from his Gate exchange account. Then, they tried to reach Luthra’s bank accounts.
After about half an hour, the attackers left with everyone’s phones. According to police, the vehicle was left in the Five Mile Drive area of north Oxford.
“They already knew who I was. I have a pretty public profile. The promoter who arranged the driver knew who I was, and I believe he was involved in organizing what happened.”
Why the Hours After the Oxford Kidnapping Cost Him Most
With no phones, the group walked to a local police station. The attack had happened in the afternoon, yet they were still giving statements after midnight.
For that entire period, Luthra had no internet access. He could not warn anyone or try to stop the transfers already moving through his accounts.
“Looking back, I consider that my biggest mistake. If I had first been able to get back to my hotel, access my laptop and message the people I knew at the exchanges, I believe we could have secured a lot more of the money.”
The delay was critical because exchanges can generally freeze funds only while they remain on their platforms. Once stolen crypto moves to private wallets or other services, recovery becomes far harder.
Even so, Luthra says the group was lucky. He was hit, but no one suffered lasting injury.
In January 2026, former Ukrainian banker Alexandru Adarici was killed in Milan during an alleged kidnapping plot to extort €250,000 in cryptocurrency. That same month, kidnappers in France held a 74-year-old man captive for 16 hours, injuring his face and hand while demanding €3 million in crypto from his son.
Several Crypto Exchanges Helped Luthra
Once Luthra regained access to his devices, he reached out to his contacts at Binance and MEXC. Both exchanges froze some of the stolen funds and helped return part of them.
Binance returned roughly $370,000. The recovery relied on a UK court order under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). The law allows courts to seize and return criminal proceeds.
Luthra says it was the first POCA order involving Binance. The London law firm Cooke, Young & Keidan secured the orders and handled the recovery.
MEXC also blocked funds and shared data on where some of the remaining money went, supporting the tracing work.
In total, Luthra says he has recovered just under $1 million. He declined to give the exact figure, and a large share of the stolen funds remains missing.
“The exchanges acted quickly once I reached them.”
In his view, faster contact would have allowed more money to be frozen before it moved elsewhere.
Late last month, Luthra mentioned the kidnapping on X, noting that part of the stolen money had been frozen.
The Case Will Not Reach Trial Until Late 2027
Thames Valley Police has run what Detective Sergeant Stuart McMaster called a “complex investigation.” It has covered CCTV, number-plate cameras, and cryptocurrency and financial inquiries.
“We are supporting the victims and keeping them updated during our complex investigation,” McMaster said in the force’s November 2025 appeal.
Officers arrested four men from London, Birmingham, and Kent that month, aged between 19 and 37. All were released on bail at the time.
In December 2025, police charged Abdul Malik Cali, 24, with five counts of conspiracy to commit robbery. He was arrested at Heathrow Airport and remanded in custody at the time, according to local reports.
Luthra says several arrests have now been made and the case involves multiple defendants. The trial was due to start this month, but has been moved to November 2027.
According to Luthra, the court now needs five weeks instead of four. No slot that long was available sooner.
“I understand that they need to do it properly and give the case enough time. But it is still very disappointing to have to wait another year.”
He added that police told him a robbery of this size was rare for Oxford in recent times.
Crypto Kidnappings are Increasing at a Dramatic Rate
Luthra believes his visibility made him a target. “They already knew who I was. I have a pretty public profile,” he said.
His case fits a wider pattern of so-called wrench attacks. In these, criminals use physical force to make victims hand over crypto. According to Chainalysis, such attacks stole a record $58 million in 2025.
The blockchain analytics firm counted another $30 million taken in the first half of 2026. France has seen the sharpest rise, including a recent home invasion targeting a crypto worker and his family.
Chainalysis also notes that attackers who cash out through exchanges leave the most traceable trail. Luthra’s partial recovery shows that window exists, but also how quickly it closes.
The broader rise in violent attacks means more high-profile holders now face the same calculation Luthra made in that car.
“You can always make money. You can always buy another watch… But you cannot get back your life or undo permanent physical harm.”
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