Gujarat cyber cell busts alleged ₹226 cr 'Dirty Crypto' network linked to terror funding and dark web transactions

In a significant breakthrough, the Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCOE), Gandhinagar, has exposed an alleged international cryptocurrency network worth over ₹226 crore that investigators claim was involved in laundering “dirty crypto” linked to terrorist financing, narcotics trafficking and dark web marketplaces.

The operation, carried out under the supervision of senior CID Crime and Railways officials, led to the arrest of two additional accused, taking the total number of persons apprehended in the case to ten.

The investigation was launched as part of an intensified crackdown on cyber-enabled financial crimes. Using advanced blockchain analysis and technical intelligence, investigators traced a complex web of cryptocurrency transactions that allegedly moved funds associated with illegal drug sales on the dark web, money laundering activities and entities suspected of supporting terrorist organisations.

Investigators said the breakthrough emerged during the probe, in which a cryptocurrency wallet allegedly linked to one Sabbir Ali Sarani came under scrutiny.

During the investigation, officials found that the wallet had allegedly been opened using the Know Your Customer (KYC) credentials of Sabbir Ali Sarani without his direct involvement. Police alleged that his son, 23-year-old Hadirja Shabirali Sarani, along with his associate Mohammad Zamin Abbas Ali Jigar, used the KYC details to create and operate a cryptocurrency account.

Blockchain analysis allegedly revealed that the wallet received approximately 5,000 USDT, a cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar, from sources categorised by investigators as “dirty crypto”, digital assets suspected of originating from illicit transactions.

Officials further alleged that the funds were linked to cryptocurrency movements involving entities sanctioned internationally for alleged connections to terrorist financing and illicit financial operations.

The two accused arrested in the latest phase of the investigation have been identified as:

Hadirja Shabirali Sarani (23), an automation-related businessman from Khambhat locality in Bhavnagar.

Mohammad Zamin Abbas Ali Jigar (36), a resident of Ambachowk area in Bhavnagar.

Police have booked the accused under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including charges related to organised criminal activity, criminal conspiracy and acts allegedly affecting national security. They have also been charged under Sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, relating to identity theft and cheating through computer resources.

Investigators said the technical unit of the Cyber Centre of Excellence mapped a broader international financial ecosystem through blockchain tracing tools. The analysis allegedly indicated links between cryptocurrency wallets used for narcotics purchases on dark web platforms, laundering of illicit proceeds and financial channels suspected of facilitating terrorist funding.

Officials said the probe remains ongoing and additional arrests are likely as investigators continue examining wallet transactions, exchange accounts and cross-border crypto transfers.