Delhi Police Cyber Cell has busted a gang which stole cryptocurrency from a businessman here and transferred the amount to the wallets of Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian organisation Hamas, it said.
DCP (Special Cell Cyber Cell) K.P.S. Malhotra said that in 2019, the businessman filed a complaint at Paschim Vihar police station alleging that his bitcoins, Ethereum and other e-wallet currency, worth ₹30 lakh at that time and estimated to be worth ₹4 crore currently, had been fraudulently transferred to unknown accounts. The case was later transferred to the Special Cell.
During the investigation, it was found that around 6.7 bitcoins, 9.79 units of Ethereum and 2.44 bitcoin cash was transferred to three accounts. Two bitcoins were transferred to six accounts, including a wallet with the address name ‘Al-QassamBrigades’.
Mr. Malhotra said the cryptocurrencies were routed through various wallets and landed in the wallets of the suspects. He added that it was further discovered that one of the wallets, belonging to the Palestinian organisation, had been seized by Israel authorities for being involved in terror financing.
The police said that some of the currency was transferred to other wallets that are being operated from Giza, Egypt and Ramallah, Palestine. Police said they have recovered details of these accounts and that some of them were used for financing terror operations and others for child porn.
