OP/USDT and "Operation Cyber Hawk": Delhi police dismantle cross-state cybercrime gang, arrest 8 people, recover 470,000 rupees

Recent media reports mention “Op Cyber Hawk,” which refers to the “Operation Cyber Hawk” initiated by Delhi police. This is a crackdown against cross-state cybercrime groups and is not an event that occurred directly on the Optimism blockchain. However, for traders focusing on OP/USDT, such law enforcement news still has an indirect impact because it reveals that criminal proceeds are increasingly being transferred through cryptocurrency channels (usually USDT). This trend is affecting regulatory pressure, market sentiment, and overall market compliance expectations.

The following content will organize official statements, the methods used by the criminal group to transfer funds, and the significance of this event for the 2026 OP/USDT market and the broader cryptocurrency environment.

OP/USDT News Event Review: Network Hawk Operation, Arrests, and Seizures

Delhi police announced that during the “Network Hawk Operation,” they successfully dismantled an active cybercrime gang operating in Delhi, Moradabad, and Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh).

Police stated that 8 suspects were arrested, alleging that the gang facilitated “mule accounts” and laundered money from online scams into international cryptocurrency wallets. Reports also mentioned at least one defendant’s name and emphasized the cross-state nature of the crimes.

Items seized include:

• 470,000 INR in cash
• Multiple bank debit cards
• Several mobile phones
• Multiple SIM cards
• Dozens of mule bank accounts linked to hundreds of complaints

Additionally, public reports described the case as involving a cross-state investment scam group, where victims were lured via WhatsApp calls to participate in fake investment projects. The “operators” are alleged to be overseas-based. Reports also mentioned the seizure of more phones and SIM cards.

OP/USDT Incident and Cryptocurrency Connection: Mule Accounts, Communication Apps, and USDT Money Laundering

The operational pattern of this case aligns with common cybercrime processes: criminals use social engineering to obtain funds, transfer them through layered mule accounts, and ultimately attempt to convert and transfer value via cryptocurrency channels.

It is claimed that the gang used communication platforms and SMS forwarding apps/APKs to remotely control mule accounts, transferring funds further overseas to the operators, with the proceeds eventually exchanged for USDT.

For the crypto market, the key point is not the OP token itself but the ongoing visibility of stablecoins (especially USDT) as a cross-border illegal fund settlement layer. This phenomenon often triggers three chain reactions, influencing the risk pricing of OP/USDT and similar trading pairs:

1. Stricter KYC/AML (Know Your Customer / Anti-Money Laundering) compliance requirements,
2. More proactive monitoring of suspicious fund flows,
3. Market shocks when large scam groups are exposed.

The 2026 OP/USDT Market Environment: Why Law Enforcement News Affects Market Sentiment

Even if law enforcement actions are unrelated to the Optimism project itself, reports related to “cryptocurrency money laundering” can still influence market psychology. Traders tend to react to increased enforcement, perceiving higher hurdles for fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat transactions, which can lead to liquidity tightening when risk appetite diminishes.

On platforms like Gate, OP/USDT is an active trading pair, with daily volatility mainly driven by overall market conditions, liquidity, and risk sentiment. Law enforcement news rarely directly “triggers” price movements, but in a market already leaning towards caution, such narratives can amplify existing trends, making the market more conservative.

Latest Developments in OP/USDT Investigations: Ongoing Wallet ID Tracking

Official sources state that investigations are still ongoing, with continuous efforts to trace international crypto wallet identifiers and identify more victims. In many cybercrime cases, dismantling local criminal links is only the first step; cross-border cooperation and wallet ownership attribution often take longer.

For market participants interested in OP/USDT, this again underscores that enforcement pressure is often structural and ongoing, rather than a one-time event.

2026 OP/USDT Insights: Implications for Crypto Users and Markets

For ordinary participants, the Network Hawk operation reminds us that most “crypto-related crimes” originate off-chain—such as impersonation, fake investment platforms, coercion, etc.—with cryptocurrencies serving mainly as settlement tools afterward.

For OP/USDT traders, the practical impact of such cases is indirect but real: as cases are exposed, exchanges and platforms will face higher compliance requirements in monitoring, reporting, and user protection. In the long run, enhanced regulation can help build a healthier market structure—even if short-term news causes negative sentiment—by constraining the survival space for scams.

For Gate users, the clearest approach is to distinguish between:

• The token’s fundamentals and on-chain applications (which determine OP’s long-term value),
• Macro/regulatory sentiment (which influences short-term OP/USDT volatility).

OP/USDT on Gate: Focus on Volatility, Not Chasing News

When law enforcement news becomes a market hot topic, many traders tend to focus solely on the narrative, neglecting whether the price structure has truly been broken. A more rational approach is to anchor decision-making on:

• Current price performance and 24-hour volatility,
• Liquidity and trading volume,
• Whether volatility is driven by the overall market.

During periods of intense news noise, Gate’s OP/USDT market perspective can serve as a neutral reference, helping traders avoid reacting to “news” rather than actual market movements.

Conclusion: OP/USDT and Network Hawk Reveal the 2026 Reality—Crypto as Settlement Layer, Not Entry Point

According to reports, the Network Hawk operation arrested 8 individuals, seized 470,000 INR in cash, and traced numerous mule accounts linked to many complaints.

For OP/USDT, this event does not imply vulnerabilities in the Optimism protocol. It emphasizes a reality for 2026: cybercrime groups increasingly use stablecoins as a means of fund escape, impacting the entire crypto market’s sentiment, policies, and compliance requirements. For traders focusing on OP/USDT, maintaining objectivity, monitoring Gate’s price and liquidity performance, and viewing law enforcement news as a background signal rather than a sole market driver may be the best strategy.