A Delhi Police investigation into an alleged case of cryptocurrency theft revealed that the cryptocurrency was transferred to the Palestinian Hamas group. According to the sources, the whistleblower had reported that some unknown persons had fraudulently transferred his Bitcoins, Etherum and Bitcoin cash from his cryptocurrency wallet. The transferred cryptocurrency was touted to be worth Rs 30 lakhs. The investigation has now revealed that the cryptocurrency was transferred to the wallets of Al-Qassam Brigates, which is the military wing of Hamas.
Cryptocurrency theft case | The Delhi police investigation revealed a cyber fraud module that transfers cryptocurrencies to the wallets of Al-Qassam Brigates, which is a military wing of Hamas.
- ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2022
The sources further stated that the case was initially registered at Delhi's Paschim Vihar Police Station following court orders. The case was later transferred to the Cyber โโCrimes Unit, Special Cell, Delhi. During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that cryptocurrency was transferred to wallets held by Al-QassamBrigates, as well as wallets that have already been seized by Israel's National Counter Terrorist Financing Office.
Furthermore, it was also learned that the seized cryptocurrency wallet belongs to Mohammad Naseer Ibrahim Abdulla. In addition, the sources also reported that the other wallets in which a large part of the cryptocurrencies have been transferred are being operated from Giza in Egypt. The cryptocurrency wallet in Egypt belongs to Ahmed Marzooq, while one wallet belongs to Mohammad Naseer Ibrahim Abdulla, who is Palestinian.
Furthermore, the investigation also revealed that the cryptocurrencies were routed through various private wallets and eventually landed in the wallets of the suspects that were being used in Gaza, Egypt, and by the military wings of the Palestinian organization Hamas.
The Center will introduce the cryptocurrency regulation bill in the next budget session
In the meantime, the Center is likely to introduce a cryptocurrency regulation bill in the next budget session of Parliament starting on January 31. In addition, it is also considering changes to income tax laws to include cryptocurrencies in the tax net, which could be an important part of the 2022 Union Budget. In 2021, the Center maintained that it will not ban cryptocurrencies, but he indicated that he will present a regulatory bill.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chaired a meeting and spoke on the issue of non-transparent misleading advertising related to cryptocurrency. The meeting was held after a consultative process conducted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Home Affairs. While stating that crypto markets cannot be allowed to become avenues for money laundering and terrorist financing, the sources indicated that the Center will continue to engage with all stakeholders.
