Terror in the Home Counties after wealthy crypto boss held at knifepoint in robbery

By RYAN HOOPER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT Published: 13:52, 12 April 2026 | Updated: 13:58, 12 April 2026 A wealthy tech entrepreneur and his family were tied up and robbed at knifepoint after thieves demanded cryptocurrency. Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie, his wife Sarah, and their two children were allegedly restrained by the group as they demanded the keycode to the businessman's electronic wallet. The suspects, including an alleged perpetrator police believe to be in his late teens, left without the digital currency but 'trashed' Mr von Landsberg-Sadie's sprawling five-bedroom home in Maidenhead, Berkshire. They made off with cash, silver and jewellery following the terrifying ordeal on April 2. The businessman, 47, issued a warning to fellow tech bosses after claiming the quartet demanded crypto 'specifically'. He said: 'This is an urgent warning to all my fellow founders, CEOs, people with any public profile at all in the crypto space, there is clearly an organised campaign right now and I ask you to be more vigilant with your personal safety. 'I am ok, my family are ok, my house is trashed but the police are all over it. 'It is my duty to get this message out as quickly as possible, no idea who is next on their list. Be safe.' Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie, former chief executive officer of BCB Group, was tied up at his family home  The South African businessman, pictured in London last year, said thieves demanded crypto In a social media post, fellow tech entrepreneur Didar Bekbauov wrote: 'Glad you and your family are safe. 'This is a serious and growing threat for anyone with public exposure in crypto. 'Physical security is something most founders don't think about until something like this happens. Take care of yourself.' Thames Valley Police said the thieves broke into the three-storey detached home, valued at around £1.5 million, at around 10pm while the homeowners were in the kitchen. Some of the suspects wore gloves and a face covering, detectives said. They were described as a black man in his mid-20s, a black male in his late teens, an Asian man in his late 20s or early 30s, and a black man in his early 30s. Mr von Landsberg-Sadie said the men were 'only after crypto' and had no interest in the Aston Martin car parked on his driveway. But they made off without any digital currency because he does not have it, he said. The South African national is chief executive of Greater Things, a company using AI to help tech start-ups. He previously founded leading London-based crypto firm the BCB Group. A cryptocurrency is a decentralised digital currency that can be used for transactions online. It is the internet's version of money - unique pieces of digital code that can be transferred from one person to another. Unlike centralised currencies such as the Pound, there is no governmental authority that manages cryptocurrencies or how much they are worth. Crytocurrencies use what is known as blockchain technology - an open ledger that records transactions in code. They are particularly popular with criminals seeking to keep assets hidden from authorities. Iran is currently demanding shipping companies pay enormous tolls in cryptocurrency to access the Strait of Hormuz.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.