India Arrests An Administrator Of Cryptocurrency Exchange On Request Of U.S. Authorities

At a request from U.S. authorities, India has arrested an administrator of the Garantex cryptocurrency exchange.

India authorities arrested Aleksej Besciokov, a 46-year-old Lithuanian national, on an Interpol red notice issued by the United States.

U.S. authorities have accused Besciokov of laundering billions of dollars for transnational organizations.

🚨BREAKING!

Indian police have arrested Aleksej Besciokov, co-founder of the Russian crypto exchange Garantex, after the European Union sanctioned the platform for facilitating money laundering. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/KUg62NainX

— Bullish Times (@BullishTimes_) March 13, 2025

Per MSN:

India has arrested an administrator of the Garantex cryptocurrency exchange. Acting on a request from US authorities, Varkala police in Kerala apprehended Aleksej Besciokov, a 46-year-old Lithuanian national. The arrest was made based on an Interpol red corner notice issued at the request of the US. Besciokov is alleged to be a co-founder of Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange that was sanctioned by the US government in 2022. US authorities accuse him of facilitating the laundering of billions of dollars for transnational criminal and cybercriminal organisations. Varkala police DSP B Gopakumar told TOI that the arrest was executed under the direction of the Additional CJM court at Patiala House, acting on the US request.

Last week, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment against Besciokov and another alleged co-founder, Aleksandr Mira Serda, a Russian national who resides in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Besciokov was accused of personally authorising transactions on Garantex connected to hackers affiliated with the North Korean government and other cybercriminals. The DOJ has also criminally charged him with facilitating money laundering on the crypto exchange.

According to US prosecutors, the two administrators “redesigned Garantex’s operations to evade and violate US sanctions and induce American businesses to unwittingly transact with Garantex in violation of the sanctions.”

Last week, after the Justice Department unsealed the indictment against Besciokov and Serda, the US Secret Service seized Garantex’s websites, and authorities froze over $26 million in cryptocurrency.

From @fmtoday: A U.S. Justice Department spokesman confirmed that Aleksej Besciokov, one of Garantex’s administrators, was arrested in India. He was accused of money laundering conspiracy and violating sanctions, India’s top crime fighting bureau said. https://t.co/hmUHmitPxM

— ICIJ (@ICIJorg) March 13, 2025

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