Aleksej Besciokov, co-founder of the Russian crypto exchange Garantex, was arrested in India by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Besciokov, 46, was apprehended in Thiruvananthapuram following a request from American authorities. The U.S. has linked Garantex to criminal activities and sanctioned it for allegedly laundering funds possibly connected to criminal groups, including North Korean hackers known as the Lazarus Group. An indictment states that Besciokov and his co-defendants were aware of the laundering but chose to ignore it. Garantex has also been sanctioned by the European Council due to its ties with sanctioned banks such as Sberbank, T-Bank, and Alfa-Bank. The U.S. Department of the Treasury had already taken action against Garantex in 2022 for its role in laundering stolen crypto funds. Besciokov's arrest marks a significant step in international efforts to combat crypto-related crime.

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