Brazilian federal police arrested 41 hackers today accused of using the internet to divert millions of dollars out of other people's bank accounts.

Some 200 federal police were deployed in the operation to serve 65 arrest warrants against a gang of hackers mostly operating in Campina Grande, some 1,800km north-east of Rio. Arrests also were made in six other states.

Police said the leader of the gang was a 19-year-old and five of those arrested so far were minors. Police were still looking for 24 other alleged gang members.