Indian authorities on Wednesday introduced the arrest of Aleksej Besciokov, the co-founder of sanctioned crypto alternate Garantex—and alleged cash launderer.
In a Wednesday put up on X, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation stated it had arrested Besciokov, 46, within the metropolis of Thiruvananthapuram.
Besciokov allegedly co-founded Russian crypto alternate Garantex, which U.S. authorities say has ties to sanctioned banks and felony teams.
In a coordinated motion with CBI, Kerala Police arrests wished felony of USA from Thiruvananthapuram pic.twitter.com/bVJZr1YEg2
— Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) March 12, 2025
The CBI stated in its announcement that Besciokov was “planning to flee the nation.” He was arrested following a request from American authorities.
U.S. feds final week seized and took down the Garantex web site. The U.S. Division of the Treasury’s Workplace of Overseas Property Management, FBI, and Division of Justice, together with German police, sanctioned Garantex in 2022 for allegedly laundering stolen funds.
A March 7 indictment towards Besciokov alleges that the Lithuanian citizen and his co-defendents “knew that felony proceeds have been being laundered by way of Garantex,” but continued to show a blind eye.
Particularly, feds allege that Besciokov knew North Korea-sponsored hackers, the Lazarus Group, used his alternate to obfuscate stolen funds.
The DOJ didn’t instantly reply to Decrypt’s request for remark.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
