Stolen cryptocurrency worth over Rs 4.5 crore wired from Delhi to Palestinian militant outfit Hamas

As per the reports, the wallets have already been seized by Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing.

In a major breakthrough, Delhi Police's Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations wing has traced fraudulently transfer of Rs 30.85 lakh cryptocurrency -- the current value of which stands at about Rs 4.5 crore -- to three different foreign accounts, including one to Palestinian militant organisation Hamas. 

In its five-month-long probe, the Delhi Police found that the cryptocurrency trail led to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigade's wallets. As per the reports, the wallets have already been seized by Israel’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing.

The cryptocurrencies worth Rs 30.85 lakh were stolen from a West Delhi businessman's wallet in 2019. He lodged a case at the Pashchim Vihar Police Station after he failed to access his wallets. After a local court order, the probe was transferred to the Cyber Crime Unit, Special Cell of Delhi Police.

"The complaint was registered about the theft of his Bitcoins, Etherum and Bitcoin cash, worth Rs 30,85,845 at the time of the incident, from his cryptocurrency wallet," IFSO Deputy Commissioner of Police KPS Malhotra said. "The cryptocurrencies which have been transferred to the account belonged to Mohammad Naseer Ibrahim Abdulla," the Delhi Police official said.

The other wallets in which the digital currencies were transferred have been found to be operated from Giza in Egypt and Ramallah in Palestine. The digital currencies were routed through various private wallets and finally landed to suspects' wallets, being used and operated in Gaza, Egypt and the military wings of Palestinian organization Hamas.