Gandhinagar, June 5: The Cyber Center of Excellence in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has uncovered a suspicious cryptocurrency network valued at over ₹226 crores linked to terrorist funding, international drug trafficking, and the dark web. In connection with this, cyber police have arrested members of a gang involved in converting ‘dirty crypto’ into USDT.
Sanjay Keshavlal, Superintendent of Police for Cyber Crimes, stated that to combat the rising tide of cybercrime, directives for stringent action were issued by the Director General of Police (DGP), CID Crime and Railways, Dr. K. Lakshmi Narayan Rao, and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Bipin Ahir. Following these orders, SP Dr. Rajdeep Singh Jhala, SP Sanjay Keshavala, and SP Vivek Bheda formed separate teams. With the aid of human sources and technical analysis, they had already apprehended ten suspects in this case, with two more arrests made recently.
The technical unit of the Cyber Center of Excellence analyzed the blockchain and transactions of the cryptocurrency, revealing a significant international financial network involved in drug sales on the dark web, money laundering, and funding terrorist organizations.
An FIR has been filed based on these allegations. During the investigation of the crypto wallet belonging to Sabir Ali Sarani Nao, it was discovered that his minor son, Hadeerja Shabbir Ali Sarani, and friend Mohammad Zameen Abbas Ali Jigar Nao obtained Sabir’s KYC details and opened a wallet for ‘dirty crypto’ to facilitate illegal funding.
Charges have been filed against the suspects under various sections of the Indian Penal Code 2023, including Section 111(2)(B), 153, 61, and the Information Technology Act 2008, Sections 66(C) and 66(D), for forming an organized gang, conspiring to assist terrorist activities through financial channels, and working against national security.
The Cyber Center of Excellence has urged the public not to rent out their bank accounts. They warned against allowing unknown individuals to use their accounts for transactions under the guise of commissions or incentives. Such rented accounts could be misused for serious crimes, including drug trafficking, cyber fraud, or terrorist funding, potentially leading to legal complications for the account holders.
Additionally, they advised the public to avoid unknown cryptocurrency transactions, as accounts on peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms could be misused for serious crimes, putting account holders at risk of legal trouble. They also cautioned against engaging with suspicious individuals for funding during cryptocurrency trading on P2P platforms, as these funds could be linked to foreign terrorist organizations or money laundering schemes. The public is advised to be wary of tempting schemes and to steer clear of cryptocurrency or gaming applications promising high returns through unknown contacts on platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, or other social media.
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