Minecraft Hackers Stole $250 Million in Cryptocurrencies – Supercars, Parties, and a Kidnapping

A group of Minecraft enthusiasts managed to steal a quarter of a billion dollars in cryptocurrencies but were caught within a month. The story revolves around American Minecraft players who pulled off one of the largest crypto heists ever. How luxury cars, bar accounts worth $500,000, and a mysterious kidnapping attempt helped investigators track down this ‘immature’ gang of Minecraft fans who amassed $250 million in cryptocurrencies. On April 24, as revealed by the New York Times, an off-duty FBI agent witnessed the kidnapping attempt of the parents of an 18-year-old, unraveling the case. On August 25, 2024, in the quiet suburb of Danbury, Connecticut, Sushil and Radhika Chetal were driving a luxurious Lamborghini Urus valued at $240,000 when they were suddenly rammed from behind by a white Honda Civic. A Ram ProMaster van blocked their path, and six men in black with covered faces abducted them during the day. This marked the beginning of a story revealing one of the most paradoxical connections between the digital and physical worlds of crime. As the kidnappers tied the couple with packing tape and beat them with baseball bats, the off-duty FBI agent watched the scene and alerted authorities. Pursuit followed, and the kidnappers were arrested hours later. However, it wasn’t just a ransom case. According to an extensive report by the New York Times, motives began to surface when police found the white Civic outside an Airbnb in Roxbury with two more suspects. The real target wasn’t the couple but something far more valuable: the millions their son Veer had siphoned off from one of the biggest cryptocurrency heists in history! A week before the kidnapping attempt, a Washington resident fell victim to a phone scam, giving access to his accounts to hackers who stole 4,100 Bitcoin worth $243 million. ZachXBT, a renowned independent investigator specializing in digital crime, tracked transactions almost in real-time using specialized software that monitors cryptocurrency movements. This led to portfolios linked to users of the Minecraft underworld, specifically the so-called ‘Com,’ which evolved from a player community into a global criminal network. The name that stood out was 18-year-old Veer Chetal, the son of the kidnapped couple. Despite being an honor student, Veer suddenly lived a life of luxury: Corvette, BMW, Lamborghini, Gucci shoes, and parties in yachts. He claimed the wealth came from ‘crypto investments.’ However, the FBI’s investigation revealed he was a key organizer of the heist. Investigations also led to others like 20-year-old Malone Lam from Singapore, known as Greavys or Anne Hathaway, who threw lavish parties in Los Angeles spending hundreds of thousands in a night. Jeandiel Serrano, 21, was arrested at Los Angeles airport with a $500,000 watch and admitted involvement, returning $20 million in Bitcoin. The FBI, through its Virtual Assets Unit, along with private teams like Cryptoforensic and top independent researchers, started unraveling the case using blockchain analysis, data from Discord and Telegram, and even Instagram stories. The connection to the kidnapping of Veer’s parents was uncovered when authorities accessed the phones of the kidnappers. On September 24, a federal grand jury in Connecticut charged six young people from Florida with kidnapping, theft, and conspiracy. The Chetal family case reveals how the digital underworld now takes physical form. The casual trolling of Minecraft servers has transformed into organized crime with international reach, resorting to threats, torture, and kidnappings. By March 2025, five of the six kidnappers had pleaded guilty and face up to 15 years in prison. Veer Chetal himself was arrested and faces federal charges.