Aleksej Besciokov, Garantex Exchange Admin, Arrested in India and Faces Extradition to the U.S.
Aleksej Besciokov, alleged Russian operator of crypto exchange Garantex, has been arrested by Indian authorities. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Besciokov in Kerala, where he was vacationing with his family, and stopped him from escaping the country.
Brian Krebs, an infosec analyst, reported that Besciokov, a Lithuanian national and Russian resident who is now 46 years old, was detained under Indias extradition laws.
Besciokov operated the exchange Garantex between 2019 and 2025, using the names proforg and iram and collaborating with co-founder Aleksandr Mira Serda, a Russian national and resident of the United Arab Emirates.
Last week, law enforcement from multiple countries, including Germany and Finland, seized Garantex servers and froze around $28 million in crypto.
In 2022, the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sanctioned Garantex for money laundering related to ransomware hacks, including Conti, Hydra, and Black Basta.
According to the indictment, Besciokov was the primary administrator, while Mira Serda was in charge of operations, particularly those involving commercial and marketing interests. According to the Department of Justice, they provided false information to Russian authorities and even concealed information about their activities.
Garantex servers were taken down, with the collaboration of German and Finnish law authorities, including Garantex dot org, Garantex dot io, and Garantex dot academy.
American authorities could even find historical backups of Garantex servers, accessing customer information and accounting data. This helped authorities locate significant amounts of laundered money, amounting to $26 million, and with the help of Tether, froze the accounts.
Besciokov travelled to Kerala, India, with his family, possibly to enjoy the beaches of Varkala and escape the troubles associated with the Garantex exchange. Kerala law enforcement arrested the Russian resident at 4 p.m. and started the extradition process.
Lazarus Group, the North Korean hackers responsible for the $1.5 billion Bybit hack, what has been described as the biggest exchange hack in history, used Garantex to launder their money.
Russian oligarchs, associated with TGR Group, evaded western sanctions, imposed after the Ukraine war, used the Garantex exchange to send their money.
Indias Extradition Act of 1962, which allows America to transfer criminals for legal proceedings, will be used to extradite Besciokov unless he disputes the case or, at best, delays the proceedings.
Mira Serda, Garantex co-founder and Russian national, remains at large.
Besciokov and Serda could face 20 years for money laundering. But Besciokov could face an extra 20 years for avoiding sanctions and 5 years for operating an illegal money-transmitting business.
Text source: ZyCrypto
