Man Plans to Buy Landfill to Recover Hard Drive Containing ₹6,933 Crore in Bitcoin

James Howells, a resident of Newport, United Kingdom, is attempting to purchase an entire landfill in search of a hard drive he accidentally discarded in 2013. The drive contains the access key to his Bitcoin holdings, which are now valued at an astonishing ₹6,933 crore.

Howells, who lives in Newport, located 19 kilometers from Cardiff, mistakenly threw away the hard drive while cleaning his house, assuming it was empty. At the time, the Bitcoin stored on it had a relatively low value, so he did not immediately realize the significance of his mistake. However, as Bitcoin’s price skyrocketed over the years, he became desperate to retrieve the lost data.

Despite multiple attempts to excavate the landfill, authorities have repeatedly denied him permission. In 2021, Howells even offered local officials a sum of ₹600 crore in exchange for the rights to search the site, but his request was rejected. His legal attempts to gain access also failed, with the British High Court dismissing his petition to compel the local council to grant permission.

Now, as a last resort, Howells is considering purchasing the entire landfill site to conduct the search himself. Whether this final attempt will be successful remains to be seen.