20 hackers held in Russia on charge of stealing bank money

The Russian police have detained a group of 20 hackers suspected of stealing over 50 million rubles (around 875,000 U.S. dollars) from people's bank accounts by infecting smartphones with a Trojan virus, the Russian Interior Ministry said Monday.

"The group members used a malicious software that allowed unauthorized access to smartphones of one of the mobile operators and transferred money to pre-prepared accounts through hidden SMS commands," a ministry statement quoted spokeswoman Irina Volk as saying.

She said over a million smartphones had been affected in various regions, mainly in the European part of Russia.

Computer equipment, hundreds of bank cards and SIM cards have been seized during searches conducted by the police in six Russian regions, and a criminal case was opened against the detainees, the statement said.