Andean Medjedovic, a 22-year-old math prodigy, disappeared from Serbian custody after being linked to a multimillion-dollar DeFi protocol hacking spree. Anas Hassan reports that the suspect, who allegedly defrauded Indexed Finance and KyberSwap, managed to evade international authorities once again just before being extradited to the Netherlands for trial.
This fugitive, who earned a master’s degree in pure mathematics at age 18, used his skills to manipulate the liquidity pools of various decentralized platforms successfully. According to the Department of Justice indictment, the Hamilton native orchestrated the DeFi protocol hacking through flash loans and code exploits, managing to steal a total of 65 million dollars from unsuspecting global investors.
The trail of a mathematical genius through the Darknet
Medjedovic’s criminal trajectory began in 2021, when he managed to drain 16.5 million dollars following the DeFi protocol hacking of Indexed Finance. In this way, the hacker demonstrated superior technical ability by calculating precise trade combinations that caused glitches in automated market systems. This expertise allowed him to evade initial financial tracking during several years of intense global pursuit.
Likewise, in November 2023, the suspect executed his boldest strike against KyberSwap, stealing 48.8 million dollars after outright rejecting a bug bounty offer. For this reason, the FBI and Europol intensified their search, managing to locate him in luxury hotels under fake identities from various European nationalities. The use of cryptocurrency mixers and fraudulent accounts facilitated the money remaining hidden.
Nonetheless, his capture in Belgrade during August 2024 seemed to mark the end of his evasion, but his subsequent disappearance has left authorities stunned. Therefore, the U.S. justice system has unsealed additional charges, revealing that the young man maintained detailed manuals for laundering illicit capital systematically. The cybersecurity community watches with amazement how a single individual has defied the surveillance of multiple jurisdictions.
Is it possible to hide 65 million dollars permanently?
The relevance of this fact lies in the sophistication of the concealment methods employed by the hacker, who used fake passports from Slovakia and Bosnia. This milestone represents a challenge for intelligence agencies, as the stolen capital remains dormant in digital wallets monitored worldwide. In this way, Medjedovic attempts to prove that it is possible to bypass the forensic tracking of modern blockchain technology.
As the digital ecosystem grows, TRM Labs experts warn that prolonged evasion becomes increasingly difficult due to constant monitoring. On the other hand, if the young man does not cooperate by returning the funds, he could face a prison sentence of over ten years in the United States. The reality is that digital tracking technology narrows the circle around any asset trying to be liquidated.
Finally, Medjedovic’s whereabouts remain an unknown that keeps Interpol and international cybercrime units on high alert. Although the loot remains unmoved, international pressure suggests that the young man must sooner or later be held accountable by the law. Moving forward, it is expected that authorities will strengthen custody protocols to prevent criminals with this technical profile from escaping again.
