Police arrest MBBS student in India for laundering cyber fraud money to Chinese gang via crypto

Indore police have arrested a 23-year-old MBBS student accused of converting cyber fraud proceeds into cryptocurrency and transferring the funds to a Chinese gang. The accused, identified as Vikram Vishnoi, was apprehended following an investigation into a case of cheating involving a software engineer, officials revealed on Wednesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajesh Kumar Tripathi stated that Vishnoi, a third-year MBBS student at the Government Medical College in Alibag, Maharashtra, was arrested for his alleged role in laundering ₹8 lakh through cryptocurrency. The case stemmed from a complaint filed by a software engineer who lost ₹1.35 lakh to a cyber scam.

Tripathi explained that Vishnoi, originally from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was part of a Telegram group that connected him with five Chinese nationals. “Vishnoi provided bank accounts to the gang on a commission basis and converted the fraud money into cryptocurrency, sending it to the Chinese gang’s crypto wallet,” he said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotia revealed that Vishnoi used the cryptocurrency exchange Binance to facilitate the transactions. He converted the funds into cryptocurrency and transferred them to a crypto wallet associated with a Chinese individual operating under the pseudonym “TLX.”

“The accused used a QR code to transfer the money and communicated with the Chinese gang members through a chatbot offering mutual translation between English and Chinese,” Dandotia added.

Authorities have sent formal requests to Telegram and Binance for information regarding the transactions and the identities of the involved parties. Police are also investigating the extent of the Chinese gang’s operations in India.

“We are thoroughly investigating the role of the Chinese gang in facilitating cyber crimes in the country,” Tripathi said.

Key Findings

    •    Vishnoi is accused of converting approximately ₹8 lakh of fraud proceeds into cryptocurrency.
    •    The funds were sent to the Chinese gang via a crypto wallet linked to “TLX.”
    •    Vishnoi facilitated these transactions using Binance and Telegram as intermediaries.