Reportedly, three months have passed since the Shibarium Bridge hack that cost users more than $3 million, but the case has not yet been transferred to official law enforcement channels.
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Chain investigators have charted a clear path to the funds, and community members say the clues are strong enough to support a formal investigation. However, exchanges remain limited unless a police file number is presented.
Chain Trail Revealed
Based on reports from on-chain detectives, the attacker moved 260 Ether through Tornado Cash before routing 232.49 ETH to deposit addresses on KuCoin. The laundering process involved 111 wallets and 45 unique KuCoin deposits, according to a public analysis by a community investigator known as Shima.
The Shibarium Bridge hacker foolishly chose not to accept the K9 bounty – it’s finally time to share the investigation we’ve been working on…🔎 it’s juicy 🤤
The hacker made a stupid mistake that completely dismantled his Tornado money laundering scheme. 💰🌪️💵
This one mistake… pic.twitter.com/itxsXbbGSm
– Shima 島。 (@MRShimamoto) December 1, 2025
A small error – a single transfer of 0.0874 ETH – linked otherwise hidden wallets and allowed the investigator to map much of the operation. The tracing work was shared with the Shiba Inu ecosystem team so that it could be used to aid recovery.
Why didn’t you call the police?
Why is there no report to the appropriate authorities to obtain a case number?
Why was no law enforcement involved in the bridge hack?
– Digital Pulse 🟣 (@CryptoPulse9) December 1, 2025
Practical barriers to recovery
Tracing crypto through mixers remains difficult, even when the ledger gives clues. Exchanges often need subpoena power, legal requests, or a docket number to share account details.
This requirement can leave strong on-chain leads blocked if a project does not file a police report. Community investigators can lead the way, but many of the next steps depend on formal legal action and cross-border cooperation.
Exchange action depends on file number
After Shima delivered the results to the project team, community members and teams like K9 Finance stepped in. A representative, using the handle DeFi Turtle, contacted KuCoin to request that the exchange freeze suspicious funds.
KuCoin responded that it would need an official law enforcement case number before taking such action, based on messages that circulated on community channels. Without a police report, the exchange said it legally could not provide internal records or lock linked accounts.
Detective offers evidence to victims
Faced with slow institutional movements, Shima offered the data set, mapping work, and methodology to victims and any law enforcement agency willing to act. Victims in different countries may need to file complaints locally to create the case numbers required by the exchanges.
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Calls for formal complaints
Shane Cook, founder of Pulse Digital Marketing, questioned why Team Shiba Inu hadn’t filed a formal complaint despite the on-chain evidence. Reports show that the team previously confirmed the breach and said they contacted security companies including PeckShield and Hexens.
Cook’s criticisms focus on the idea that technical analysis alone may not be enough; a legal deposit is often required to make exchanges cooperate. The community is now questioning whether the project prioritized reopening the bridge and planning for repayment over pursuing legal avenues.
Featured image from Hacked.com, chart from TradingView
