According to reports, it has been three months since the Shibarium Bridge hack that took more than $3 million from users, but the case has not yet entered formal law enforcement channels.
Investigators on the chain have followed a clear path of funding, and community members say the leads are strong enough to support an official investigation. Yet the exchanges are omitted unless a police case number is presented.
On-Chain Trail Revealed
Based on reports from on-chain sleuths, the attacker moved 260 Ether via Tornado Cash before sending 232.49 ETH ($3,020.51) to the deposit addresses at KuCoin. The money laundering scheme involved 111 wallets and 45 unique KuCoin deposits, according to a public breakdown by a community researcher known as Shima.
The Shibarium Bridge hacker foolishly chose not to accept the K9 bounty – it’s finally time to share the research we’ve been working on… this is juicy 
The hacker made one stupid mistake and it completely unraveled the money laundering of Tornado Cash. 
That one mistake… pic.twitter.com/itxsXbbGSm
— Shima Island. (@MRShimamoto) December 1, 2025
A small mistake – a single transfer of 0.0874 ETH – linked otherwise hidden wallets and allowed the researcher to map out much of the operation. The tracking work was shared with the Shiba Inu ecosystem team so it could be used to push for recovery.
Why didn’t https://t.co/OoTvg1kraL call the police?
Why is there no report to the competent authorities to obtain a case number?
Why are there no law enforcement agencies involved in the https://t.co/OoTvg1kraL bridge hack? https://t.co/88Gdxi0rhh
— Pulse digital 
(@CryptoPulse9) December 1, 2025
Practical roadblocks to recovery
Tracing crypto through mixers remains difficult even if the ledger provides clues. Exchanges often require subpoena power, legal requests, or a case number to share account information.
This requirement can ensure that strong leads remain stuck in the chain if a project is not reported to the police. Community researchers can lead the way, but many of the next steps depend on formal legal action and cross-border collaboration.
Exchange action depends on case number
After Shima delivered the findings to the project team, community members and teams like K9 Finance intervened. One representative, using the handle DeFi Turtle, contacted KuCoin to request that the exchange freeze the suspected funds.
KuCoin responded that it would require a formal case number from law enforcement before taking such action, based on the messages circulating in community channels. Without a police report, the exchange said it could not legally provide internal data or lock the linked accounts.
Sleuth offers evidence to victims
Faced with the slow institutional movement, Shima has offered the full data set, mapping work and methodology to the victims and to any law enforcement agency willing to act. Victims in different countries may need to file complaints locally to create case numbers that exchange demand.
Calls for formal complaints
Shane Cook, founder of Pulse Digital Marketing, questioned why the Shiba Inu team had not filed an official complaint despite the evidence in the chain. Reports indicate that the team previously confirmed the breach and contacted security companies including PeckShield and Hexens.
Cook’s criticism centers on the idea that technical analysis alone may not be sufficient; A legal application is often required for exchanges to collaborate. The community is now questioning whether the project prioritized bridge reopening and repayment planning over following legal routes.
Featured image from Hacked.com, chart from TradingView
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