<p>Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police have busted an international cryptocurrency racket worth Rs 225 crore, allegedly linked to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/terror-funding-case">terror-funding</a>, the dark web, and narcotics trafficking. The police have arrested nine individuals whose digital wallets were being used for fund transfers to "terrorist organisations such as Hamas and the Houthi rebel group."</p><p>Investigators also suspect the accused were actively involved in as many as 935 cyber fraud cases across the country.</p><p>The technical unit of Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCE), Gandhinagar, on Tuesday claimed to have busted the "sophisticated network by analyzing cryptocurrency wallets and transactions." Their investigation revealed that the crime syndicate was operating on the dark website, named "ARTEMISLAB.CC" for narcotics distribution, money laundering, and financing designated international terrorist organisations.</p>.Global cyber scam syndicate unearthed in Srinagar, seven held.<p>The transaction of a digital wallet led the police team to Mohsin Sadiq Molani, a resident of Sarkhej in Ahmedabad. Further, a deep technical analysis of Molani's wallet revealed involvement of nine other suspicious crypto users who were spread across the country.</p><p>The police have claimed that to dodge cops, the syndicate was using untraceable and anonymous cryptocurrencies such as "Monero (amounting to Rs 2 crore), which are globally preferred for terror financing and dark web activities."</p><p>On the connection with Hamas and Houthi rebel groups, the police said that "A major breakthrough revealed that a wallet belonging to another accused, Mohammed Zuber Mohammedhussein Popatiya, was previously frozen in 2025 by Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing. This wallet maintained direct transactional links with the "Dubai Company for Exchange, a front utilized by the "Hamas" terror organisation."</p>.Bengaluru engineer loses Rs 43.48L in sophisticated crypto scam via part-time job.<p>Police said that the funds were also being actively transferred into the syndicate's wallet from organisations blacklisted by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control. These organisations included Yemen's "Ansar Allah", a Houthi rebel group, Iran's "IRGC-QF, one of the branches of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Russia's sanctioned exchange "Garantex," and wallets associated with the Ilan Shor cluster.</p><p>"The accused integrated huge sums of illicit funds originating from cyber scams, dark web transactions, and international smuggling operations. They rotated these funds internally across their personal wallets, converted this "Dirty Crypto" into stable USDT coins, and systematically routed the money into international criminal networks," police said in a release.</p><p>During the investigation, police also found a "massive drug trafficking operation running in the United Kingdom since 2023." </p><p>One of the suspects Molani allegedly procured narcotics orders through Telegram groups and other digital channels and forwarded details to a Dubai based kingpin Mohammed Zuber Popatiya, who supplied drugs through his UK network.</p><p>Police claimed that Molani also managed orders with Salman Gulamali Ansari, who is undergoing six years of imprisonment from a UK prison. Police said that evidence "proved" that he was running a drug network from behind bars.</p><p>"Salman Ansari and Mohammed Zuber Popatiya acted as the masterminds of this terror finance and Monero routing structure. The generated illicit cash was funneled back to India through Angadia and Hawala networks, where Molani would collect it and hand it over to Salman's father, Gulam Sadiq Ibadullah Ansari," police said in the note.</p><p>"The accused integrated huge sums of illicit funds originating from cyber scams, dark web transactions, and international smuggling operations. They rotated these funds internally across their personal wallets, converted this "Dirty Crypto" into stable USDT coins, and systematically routed the money into international criminal networks," police said in a release.</p><p>During investigation, police also found a "massive drug trafficking operation running in the United Kingdom since 2023." One of the suspects Molani allegedly procured narcotics orders through Telegram groups and other digital channels and forwarded details to a Dubai based kingpin Mohammed Zuber Popatiya, who supplied drugs through his UK network.</p>.L-G Manoj Sinha intensifies crackdown on drug networks in Jammu and Kashmir, targets cartels and their terror links .<p>Police claimed that Molani also managed orders with Salman Gulamali Ansari, who is undergoing six years of imprisonment from a UK prison. Police said that evidence "proved" that he was running a drug network from behind bars.</p><p>"Salman Ansari and Mohammed Zuber Popatiya acted as the masterminds of this terror finance and Monero routing structure. The generated illicit cash was funneled back to India through Angadia and Hawala networks, where Molani would collect it and hand it over to Salman's father, Gulam Sadiq Ibadullah Ansari," police said in the note.</p><p>Police said that the total financial transaction value traced in the case was around Rs 226.54 crore. They said that a cross-verification with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) revealed that bank accounts linked to the syndicate were connected to 935 cyber fraud complaints across the country.</p><p>Those arrested have been identified as Mohsin Molani, Ejaz Aslamkhan Pathan, Mohammed Abdulkaderbhai Siddi, Naved Ayubkhan Pathan, Faizahmed Nassaruddin Chisti, Zeeshan Siraj Motiwala, Salman Habibkhan Pathan, Gulam Sadiq Ibadullah Asnsari, all residents of Ahmedabad and Lovepreet Darshansinh Madharu, who hails from Haryana. </p>
<p>Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police have busted an international cryptocurrency racket worth Rs 225 crore, allegedly linked to <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/terror-funding-case">terror-funding</a>, the dark web, and narcotics trafficking. The police have arrested nine individuals whose digital wallets were being used for fund transfers to "terrorist organisations such as Hamas and the Houthi rebel group."</p><p>Investigators also suspect the accused were actively involved in as many as 935 cyber fraud cases across the country.</p><p>The technical unit of Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCE), Gandhinagar, on Tuesday claimed to have busted the "sophisticated network by analyzing cryptocurrency wallets and transactions." Their investigation revealed that the crime syndicate was operating on the dark website, named "ARTEMISLAB.CC" for narcotics distribution, money laundering, and financing designated international terrorist organisations.</p>.Global cyber scam syndicate unearthed in Srinagar, seven held.<p>The transaction of a digital wallet led the police team to Mohsin Sadiq Molani, a resident of Sarkhej in Ahmedabad. Further, a deep technical analysis of Molani's wallet revealed involvement of nine other suspicious crypto users who were spread across the country.</p><p>The police have claimed that to dodge cops, the syndicate was using untraceable and anonymous cryptocurrencies such as "Monero (amounting to Rs 2 crore), which are globally preferred for terror financing and dark web activities."</p><p>On the connection with Hamas and Houthi rebel groups, the police said that "A major breakthrough revealed that a wallet belonging to another accused, Mohammed Zuber Mohammedhussein Popatiya, was previously frozen in 2025 by Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing. This wallet maintained direct transactional links with the "Dubai Company for Exchange, a front utilized by the "Hamas" terror organisation."</p>.Bengaluru engineer loses Rs 43.48L in sophisticated crypto scam via part-time job.<p>Police said that the funds were also being actively transferred into the syndicate's wallet from organisations blacklisted by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control. These organisations included Yemen's "Ansar Allah", a Houthi rebel group, Iran's "IRGC-QF, one of the branches of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Russia's sanctioned exchange "Garantex," and wallets associated with the Ilan Shor cluster.</p><p>"The accused integrated huge sums of illicit funds originating from cyber scams, dark web transactions, and international smuggling operations. They rotated these funds internally across their personal wallets, converted this "Dirty Crypto" into stable USDT coins, and systematically routed the money into international criminal networks," police said in a release.</p><p>During the investigation, police also found a "massive drug trafficking operation running in the United Kingdom since 2023." </p><p>One of the suspects Molani allegedly procured narcotics orders through Telegram groups and other digital channels and forwarded details to a Dubai based kingpin Mohammed Zuber Popatiya, who supplied drugs through his UK network.</p><p>Police claimed that Molani also managed orders with Salman Gulamali Ansari, who is undergoing six years of imprisonment from a UK prison. Police said that evidence "proved" that he was running a drug network from behind bars.</p><p>"Salman Ansari and Mohammed Zuber Popatiya acted as the masterminds of this terror finance and Monero routing structure. The generated illicit cash was funneled back to India through Angadia and Hawala networks, where Molani would collect it and hand it over to Salman's father, Gulam Sadiq Ibadullah Ansari," police said in the note.</p><p>"The accused integrated huge sums of illicit funds originating from cyber scams, dark web transactions, and international smuggling operations. They rotated these funds internally across their personal wallets, converted this "Dirty Crypto" into stable USDT coins, and systematically routed the money into international criminal networks," police said in a release.</p><p>During investigation, police also found a "massive drug trafficking operation running in the United Kingdom since 2023." One of the suspects Molani allegedly procured narcotics orders through Telegram groups and other digital channels and forwarded details to a Dubai based kingpin Mohammed Zuber Popatiya, who supplied drugs through his UK network.</p>.L-G Manoj Sinha intensifies crackdown on drug networks in Jammu and Kashmir, targets cartels and their terror links .<p>Police claimed that Molani also managed orders with Salman Gulamali Ansari, who is undergoing six years of imprisonment from a UK prison. Police said that evidence "proved" that he was running a drug network from behind bars.</p><p>"Salman Ansari and Mohammed Zuber Popatiya acted as the masterminds of this terror finance and Monero routing structure. The generated illicit cash was funneled back to India through Angadia and Hawala networks, where Molani would collect it and hand it over to Salman's father, Gulam Sadiq Ibadullah Ansari," police said in the note.</p><p>Police said that the total financial transaction value traced in the case was around Rs 226.54 crore. They said that a cross-verification with the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP) revealed that bank accounts linked to the syndicate were connected to 935 cyber fraud complaints across the country.</p><p>Those arrested have been identified as Mohsin Molani, Ejaz Aslamkhan Pathan, Mohammed Abdulkaderbhai Siddi, Naved Ayubkhan Pathan, Faizahmed Nassaruddin Chisti, Zeeshan Siraj Motiwala, Salman Habibkhan Pathan, Gulam Sadiq Ibadullah Asnsari, all residents of Ahmedabad and Lovepreet Darshansinh Madharu, who hails from Haryana. </p>