Evan Luthra’s Oxford crypto robbery trial slips to 2027, with over $1m still missing

Evan Luthra’s trial over the 2025 Oxford robbery in which he says masked men forced him to unlock his exchange accounts has slipped to November 2027. Luthra says he lost more than $2 million and has recovered just under $1 million. Police put the cryptocurrency transfer at $1.5 million.

His account, published roughly a year after the attack, describes an ambush during a car journey from Oxford to London. It also details the difficulties of alerting exchanges after his phone was taken and the subsequent legal effort to recover stolen funds.

Crypto kidnapping unfolded after Oxford speaking event

Luthra was visiting Britain for Halloween, an award ceremony at the House of Lords and a speaking engagement at Oxford University. After the Oxford event, he departed with four friends in a private car.

The driver had been arranged through an acquaintance who had worked for him for several days, according to his account. During the journey towards London, the vehicle turned into a secluded lane lined with trees.

Five masked men then entered the car, punched Luthra and told the other passengers that he was their target. He said he quickly recognised the situation as a kidnapping and decided against resisting.

The attackers first took his Richard Mille watch, which police valued at approximately £450,000. They then used his face to unlock his phone through Face ID and accessed his financial accounts.

According to Luthra, the crypto kidnapping resulted in withdrawals worth slightly more than $1.5 million from Binance and approximately $600,000 in Ethereum from Gate. The assailants subsequently tried to access his bank accounts.

The group left after roughly half an hour, taking the passengers’ phones. Police said the vehicle was abandoned in the Five Mile Drive area of north Oxford.

Police account gives a lower transfer figure

A Thames Valley Police charging notice describes a robbery involving a vehicle travelling from Oxford to London. It says two men and three women had watches and phones stolen, while one victim was forced to transfer cryptocurrency worth $1.5 million.

The notice does not identify that victim. It also does not explain the difference between its transfer figure and the more than $2 million Luthra says he lost in the crypto kidnapping.

That distinction leaves two separately attributed accounts of the financial loss: the amount recorded in the police notice and the larger total described by Luthra across his exchange accounts.

Luthra also said the masked men appeared to know his identity before approaching him. He linked that knowledge to his public profile, although the supplied report does not establish how the attackers identified or tracked him.

After the crypto kidnapping, the group walked to a police station. Luthra said they were still giving statements after midnight and had no internet access during that period, preventing him from promptly contacting people at the exchanges.

Crypto kidnapping recovery involved court orders and exchange freezes

Once he regained contact with his exchange connections, Binance and MEXC assisted with the recovery effort, according to Luthra.

Binance returned approximately $370,000 through a court order obtained under Britain’s Proceeds of Crime Act. London law firm Cooke, Young & Keidan secured the orders and handled the recovery process.

Luthra described it as the first such order involving Binance, although that characterisation remains attributed to him. MEXC also froze some of the stolen assets and supplied information that supported tracing efforts.

In total, he said he had recovered just under $1 million from the crypto kidnapping losses. He declined to disclose the precise amount.

The recovery account illustrates the importance of where stolen assets are held when an exchange receives an alert. Funds remaining on a platform may be frozen, while assets already transferred elsewhere can be more difficult for that exchange to recover.

In an October 30 post on X, Luthra said some of the stolen money had been frozen. He also disclosed that he continued to hold almost $10 million on Binance.

Trial delay extends wait for court proceedings

Police arrested four men from London, Birmingham and Kent, aged between 19 and 37, in November 2025. They were released on bail.

Detective Sergeant Stuart McMaster described a “complex investigation” involving CCTV footage, number-plate cameras and financial inquiries.

Abdul Malik Cali, 24, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in December 2025 and charged with five counts of conspiracy to commit robbery. He was remanded in custody. The charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.

The trial linked to the crypto kidnapping had been scheduled to begin in November 2026. According to the report, it has moved to November 2027 because proceedings require five weeks rather than four, and no suitable earlier slot was available.

Luthra expressed disappointment at the delay but said he understood the need for the case to be handled properly.

A year after the crypto kidnapping, his account describes an incomplete financial recovery and a further wait for trial. The exchange freezes and court-ordered return have recovered part of the claimed losses, but a substantial sum remains outstanding.