Gandhinagar, June 5 (IANS) Two more arrests have been made in a widening cybercrime investigation into an alleged cryptocurrency network worth over Rs 226 crore, which authorities say is linked to suspected terrorist funding channels, international drug trafficking operations, and transactions routed through the dark web.

The Cyber Centre of Excellence of CID Crime confirmed that the case was registered following detailed blockchain and technical analysis of cryptocurrency movements.

According to officials, 10 accused had already been arrested earlier in the case, and the latest arrests were made after further investigation based on technical evidence and human intelligence inputs.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjay Keshwala said the investigation was being carried out under instructions from senior police leadership.

He said, “Earlier, a cryptocurrency case of more than Rs 226 crore linked to terrorist funding networks, international drug networks, and the dark web was registered at the Cyber Centre of Excellence under FIR 33/2026. In this matter, there were instructions from DGP K. L. N. Rao to carry out a detailed and intensive investigation.”

He added that, following further scrutiny of digital evidence, two additional accused were arrested.

“During further investigation, two accused have been arrested today. The names of the arrested accused are Hadirja Sabir Ali Sarani and Mohammad Zamin Abbas Ali Jigar,” he said.

According to SP Keshwala, the probe revealed that Hadirja Sabir Ali Sarani (23), along with his associate Mohammad Zamin Abbas Ali Jigar (36), allegedly used KYC credentials belonging to Sarani’s father to operate a Binance cryptocurrency wallet and carry out layered transactions.

He stated that the transactions were routed through multiple stages and linked to entities flagged in international financial monitoring systems.

These included references to the Office of Foreign Assets Control, as well as links to Ansarullah (Houthi movement) and the cryptocurrency exchange Garantex.

Officials said approximately 5,000 USDT was moved through these layered transactions, described in the investigation as “dirty crypto”.

SP Keshwala further said that the accused allegedly facilitated the misuse of identity credentials for financial transactions without proper authorisation, forming part of a broader laundering mechanism under investigation.

The accused, identified as residents of Bhavnagar, were taken into custody and are currently on remand.

Officials said further custodial interrogation and technical analysis are underway to map additional wallets, counterparties, and cross-border financial flows connected to the case.

The cyber unit is continuing its forensic blockchain analysis to trace the wider network and establish the full extent of its international linkages.

–IANS

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