At US request, India arrests crypto administrator accused of money laundering

Record ID: 1983572

  • Title: At US request, India arrests crypto administrator accused of money laundering
  • Date: 15th March 2025
  • Summary: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA (MARCH 14, 2025) (ANI- No use India) (SOUNDBITE) (English) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL, AJEETHA BEGUM, SAYING: "His name is Aleksej Besciokov and he is involved in a huge money laundering case. There are charges of money laundering as well as conspiracy to operate unlicensed business in the US. So, this case is existing now
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: India Kerala Lithuanian Thiruvananthapuram USA Washington arrest crime cryptocurrency cybercrime exchange money laundering police scam trading
  • Location: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA
  • City: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
  • Reuters ID: LVA002M0BFPZJ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: PART QUALITY AS INCOMING
    Indian police arrested at Washington's request a cryptocurrency exchange administrator accused of money laundering conspiracy and violating sanctions, Deputy Inspector General of southern Thiruvananthapuram city said on Friday (March 14).
    The United States, Germany and Finland took down the online infrastructure used by the Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, the U.S. Justice Department said last week, adding that two administrators of the exchange were charged.
    One of those administrators was Aleksej Besciokov, a Russian resident and Lithuanian national who was charged with money laundering and also faced accusations of violating sanctions and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, the Justice Department said.
    Besciokov was arrested in the coastal state of Kerala as he was wanted by U.S. authorities. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that at Washington's request, India's foreign ministry had a provisional arrest warrant issued.
    It added Besciokov was planning to flee India. It was not immediately clear why he was in India.
    The exchange has processed at least $96 billion in cryptocurrency transactions since April 2019, the U.S. Justice Department said. Garantex was sanctioned by the U.S. in April 2022.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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