Crypto investor Evan Luthra has publicly detailed a kidnapping in Oxford, England, on November 4, 2025, in which five masked men allegedly stole more than $2 million in digital assets and a Richard Mille watch valued at approximately £450,000. In an interview with BeInCrypto on November 8, 2026, Luthra said the attackers intercepted a private vehicle carrying him and four friends after an Oxford University event.
According to Luthra, the driver turned onto a secluded road before five masked men entered the car and assaulted him. The attackers forced him to unlock his smartphone using Face ID, then accessed his cryptocurrency exchange accounts. Within about 30 minutes, they transferred just over $1.5 million from Binance and roughly $600,000 in Ethereum from Gate. The group also took passengers' phones, preventing immediate contact with exchanges while funds moved.
Thames Valley Police launched what it called a “complex investigation”, covering CCTV, number-plate cameras and crypto tracing. Four men were arrested in November 2025, and Abdul Malik Cali, 24, was charged with five counts of conspiracy to commit robbery. Luthra said Binance returned approximately $370,000 under a UK court order based on the Proceeds of Crime Act, with assistance from law firm Cooke, Young & Keidan. MEXC also froze funds and shared transaction data. Luthra estimates total recoveries now approach $1 million, though a substantial portion remains missing.
The criminal trial has been postponed from November 2026 to November 2027 because additional courtroom time is required. The case underscores a broader trend: Chainalysis counted a record $58 million stolen in physical “wrench attacks” in 2025, plus another $30 million in the first half of 2026, with France seeing the sharpest rise. Unlike software exploits, physical coercion can bypass authentication safeguards when victims are forced to unlock devices, making rapid reporting and exchange cooperation critical for asset recovery.
