A cyber fraud module was unearthed by Delhi police sending crypto funds into the wallets of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed branch of the terrorist organization Hamas. Intel from a foreign intelligence agency to Indian intelligence identifying crypto wallets operated and managed by the military branch of Hamas prompted Delhi Police to investigate a first-of-its-kind crypto hacking case.

The case was reported in 2019 after a businessman from Paschim Vihar, Delhi, lodged a police complaint after losing access to his wallet. The victim possessed 6.2 Bitcoin, 9.79 Ethereum, and 2.44 Bitcoin cash in his blockchain mobile wallet on his Oppo F17 mobile smartphone, according to the complaint. As per estimates, his money was worth around Rs 30.6 lakh at the time. The current value of the cryptocurrencies stands at Rs 4 Crore.

The investigation was soon assigned to the Special Cell for further technical evaluation. Rakesh Asthana, the commissioner of the Delhi Police, requested that the case be investigated as soon as possible. A special team led by DCP KPS Malhotra was constituted under Special Cell’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Ops section to launch a multi-angle inquiry. Malhotra then constituted a special squad, which included ACP Raman Lamba, SI Neeraj, and others, to trace out the receivers of the stolen money.

During the probe, the crypto trail led investigators to the al-Qassam Brigades’ accounts. An inquiry employing a variety of tracking techniques indicated that the victim’s device had been hacked and funds had been moved to three separate accounts without his authorization. According to officials, some of the stolen funds were also traced move to a UK-based gaming site and a child pornography site.

“The seized wallet belonged to Mohammad Naseer Ibrahim Abdulla. The other wallets into which a significant portion of the cryptocurrencies was transferred were operated from Giza in Egypt. One of these wallets belonged to Ahmed Marzooq. Another wallet, in which cryptocurrencies had been transferred, belonged to Ahmed QH Safi from Ramallah in Palestine,” the investigation report filed by IFSO states as per reports.

These developments are anticipated to be communicated to relevant authorities at home and abroad through proper channels by Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana.

The National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing of Israel’s Defense Ministry announced in July 2021 that it had confiscated a number of digital wallets related to Hamas. After a combined operation with a cryptocurrency tracking agency found a network of electronic wallets used by Hamas to gather cash, the ministry ordered the accounts to be frozen. The list of accounts was distributed to a number of other countries, including India.

The news comes amid calls for the regulation and prosecution of digital wallets, which have long been used by hackers to launder funds obtained via online crimes. In India, trading cryptocurrencies and establishing a crypto exchange are both allowed. However, there is presently no legislation that governs cryptocurrency trading.

References:

opindia.com - OpIndia Staff