A new twist in the WazirX heist: The hacker behind the $235 million theft has just used a sanctioned crypto mixer to hide their tracks.
According to the latest news in cryptocurrency, a hacker involved in the $235 million theft from Indian crypto exchange WazirX has recently moved $6.5 million through the sanctioned crypto mixer Tornado Cash.
On September 3, blockchain security platform Cyvers revealed in an X post that the hacker transferred 2,600 Ether (ETH), currently valued at $6.5 million, to Tornado Cash in an attempt to launder the stolen funds.
Starting on September 2, the hacker’s wallet held $6.7 million but now only retains $154,000. Within just one hour, the hacker made 26 separate transfers of 100 ETH each to Tornado Cash, as tracked by crypto monitoring platform DeBank.
Meanwhile, WazirX announced that users could now withdraw up to 66% of their Indian rupee (INR) token balances from the exchange, nearly a week ahead of the originally scheduled withdrawal window.
Moreover, the exchange explained that the withdrawal period, initially set for September 9, was moved forward to grant users earlier access to their funds.
Following the $235 million exploit on July 18, WazirX is implementing a staggered plan to restore its financial operations. As part of this plan, INR withdrawals were reinstated on August 26.
However, on August 23, the exchange reported that 34% of rupee-denominated balances were “frozen” due to ongoing investigations with law enforcement agencies. WazirX also indicated ongoing legal challenges with crypto withdrawals and is currently pursuing legal proceedings in Singapore, where the company has chosen to carry out its legal restructuring process.
