Australian cryptocurrency billionaire Tim Heath narrowly escaped becoming a kidnapping victim in Estonia last year by biting off part of his attacker's finger. According to an Estonian court, Heath is a seasoned cryptocurrency investor.
In 2025, the number of kidnapping cases involving cryptocurrency continues to rise, prompting industry executives to further enhance security measures. In July of last year, Heath was attacked in the hallway of his apartment building by two men posing as painters.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, citing Estonian media Eesti Ekspress on Wednesday (July 2), one of the attackers, Azerbaijani Allahverdi Allahverdiyev, a former boxer and wrestler, attempted to cover Heath's mouth with his hand to prevent him from calling for help. Court disclosures revealed that the attackers originally planned to forcibly take Heath into a van. However, Heath managed to bite through the man's finger, successfully breaking free and escaping back to his apartment for safety.
It is reported that during the intense 30-second struggle, Heath lost a tooth, and part of the attacker's severed finger was later found on a street about 100 meters from the crime scene. After the failed attempt, the attackers quickly fled and abandoned the van nearby.
Tim Heath, born in Victoria, Australia, founded Yolo Group, headquartered in Estonia, along with its venture capital arm Yolo Investments, and is active in the fields of fintech, cryptocurrency, and online gaming. According to estimates from the Australian Financial Review's rich list, Heath has a net worth of AUD 2.46 billion, equivalent to USD 1.61 billion.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the seven-member gang had begun tracking Heath months before the attack, including following him offline and installing a GPS tracker on his vehicle.
The gang is suspected of entering Estonia using forged Georgian passports and had purchased painter uniforms and other props from a hardware market days before the incident to disguise themselves as workers.
They allegedly planned to kidnap Heath and take him to a nearby rented sauna, forcing him to transfer his cryptocurrency assets, while also recruiting a hacker to assist in the crime.
In addition to Allahverdiyev, Georgian citizen Ilgar Mamedov has also been arrested, and the two are currently on trial in Estonia. The police are searching for two more individuals, including the suspected mastermind Najaf Najafli, while the identities of three other accomplices remain unknown.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Allahverdiyev claimed in court that someone had promised to pay him €100,000 (approximately USD 118,000) as a reward for the kidnapping, but he only pretended to participate and ultimately persuaded others to abandon the plan.
Prosecutors allege that Mamedov was the getaway driver for the gang, but he firmly denies involvement, claiming he merely stumbled into Estonia, stating, "All accusations are lies and fabrications."
Prosecutors pointed out that a few weeks after the attempted kidnapping, Heath received a message via Telegram from the sender, who attached a photo of his apartment and demanded 30 bitcoins (BTC), valued at approximately USD 3.3 million at the time.
After Heath did not respond, the kidnappers did not contact him again, but prosecutors believe the threat has not been eliminated.
It has been reported that after the incident, Heath has invested over USD 3.1 million in private security and has relocated. His legal team is seeking compensation from the defendants for the additional security costs.
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Original article: “Crypto billionaire reportedly fights back against kidnapping, bites off kidnapper's finger”
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