Crypto Millionaire Reveals Shocking Details Of His $2M Kidnapping In The Uk

What Happened

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.

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.

Market Context

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.

Why It Matters

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.”

Details

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

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.

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.

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.