A woman in Delhi fell victim to a cryptocurrency theft, losing ₹3 crore while her phone was in ‘flight mode’. The incident came to light when her close friend was arrested in connection with the crime. According to police, the friend, along with two associates, siphoned off 6 bitcoins (BTC) from the victim’s crypto mobile wallet. One of the accused is a resident of Uttam Nagar in Delhi.
The accused allegedly used multiple ‘tumblers’ to conceal the money trail of the coins. A tumbler is a tool used to mix identifiable cryptocurrency with others, effectively obscuring its origin. Initial investigations revealed that the stolen bitcoins were transferred to six different wallets.
The incident unfolded on July 4th when the accused woman accompanied her friend to the airport. While en route, she took the victim’s phone, claiming to need it for navigation, and proceeded to transfer the entire balance of six bitcoins from her wallet to multiple other wallets using a tumbler.
Following the transfer, the accused allegedly converted some of the crypto into cash using various accounts. The victim, a digital marketer, filed a complaint on July 4th after discovering the missing bitcoins from her crypto wallet.
On July 19th, police apprehended the accused. They recovered cash worth ₹1.25 crore, 2.32 BTC, 96000 USDT, and three mobile phones from the three accused.
The police registered a case against the accused and her associates under sections 303(2) for theft, 323 for concealment of property, 61(2) for criminal conspiracy, 3(5) for joint criminal liability, and 317(2) for stolen property of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 66 of the IT Act.
This incident highlights the growing threat of cryptocurrency theft and the need for increased security measures to protect digital assets. It also underscores the importance of being cautious about sharing personal and financial information online and with individuals you may not fully trust.
