Startling revelations have emerged about ₹81 crore being transferred to Pakistan-based operators after being routed through mule bank accounts linked to Binance app IDs operated by a Bihar-based father-son duo who was arrested in Balrampur on Monday. The transfers, in the form of cryptocurrency, were made over an 11-month period, alarming both state and central investigative agencies, police said.
The accused — identified as Golu Kumar and his father Bhushan Chaudhary, both residents of Champaran in Bihar — were arrested by Balrampur police for their alleged involvement in transferring funds procured through cyber frauds to masterminds operating from different places, including other countries like Pakistan, officials said.
The duo had provided five family bank accounts to Suspier Chaudhary of Nawada, who was arrested on July 27 with four others in a cyber fraud case lodged at Balrampur’s Laliya police station. Suspier, operating from Gurugram, allegedly handled the crypto transfers and earned a 10% commission for managing mule account operators, they added.
“Although the Balrampur police are competent enough and are trying to unravel the nexus, we have written to specialised agencies like Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) as multi-state and international dimensions are emerging,” Balrampur superintendent of police (SP) Vikash Kumar said.
“The police have not found any terror funding angle, but this cannot be ruled out. The investigation carried out so far has yielded several crucial leads,” he said, adding the involvement of the father-son duo surfaced after the arrest of Suspier Chaudhary.
“The police discovered that around ₹81 crore out of over ₹ 101.34 crore was transferred from the five Binance app IDs operated by the father-son duo. This money was transferred to Pakistan-based Binance app IDs in the form of crypto currency by Suspier Chowdhary,” he explained.
A senior official at the DGP headquarters in Lucknow said a detailed report has been sought from the Balrampur police regarding their investigation and findings so that the same can be shared with the central agencies.
“The ATS has already been asked to look into the matter with the possibility of terror funding. We will further recommend the case to special agencies for detailed investigation, if required,” he added.
According to a Balrampur police official privy to the investigation, the funding was done through six accounts, including one in Nepal and five in India. “Golu Kumar allegedly ran a cyber cafe and a Jan Seva Kendra in East Champaran, Bihar. It was used as a front for the activities related to transfer of funds,” the official said.
Golu Kumar reportedly told the police that two years ago, he was introduced to some individuals who helped him create a Binance ID and taught him how to convert rupees to cryptocurrency and transfer the same. Seeing quick profits, he also started using his father’s ID, the official added.
“The investigation has revealed significant information about Binance, an online exchange platform. Police have identified six Binance IDs, including five in India and one in Nepal, that were used for transferring funds. The police are currently investigating three other IDs in India and have requested data from Binance to track down the Nepalese ID. More revelations are expected in the coming days,” he added.
