Bitcoin scam: CID conducts raids on investigating officers in K’taka

Bengaluru, Oct 7 (IANS) Criminal Investigating Department (CID) conducted raids on the residences of investigation officers of Bitcoin scam in Karnataka who are allegedly involved with the kingpin hacker.

Sources said that the raids were conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at seven locations against five investigating officers after it was alleged that the officers are not investigating the scam properly and are also involved in destroying the evidence by colluding with the alleged kingpin hacker Sriki.

The raids were conducted in Bommanahalli, Koramangala and other locations.

CID special team had arrested Harvindar Singh, Nitin Mehsram and Darshit Patel recently in Nagpur, Maharashtra in connection with the hacking of the e-procurement portal of Karnataka government by joining hands with the prime accused Sriki.

The government had allotted the services of cyber forensic and cryptocurrency experts to assist the SIT team in probing the Bitcoin scam.

The SIT team had conducted raids on the residences of the main accused persons including the alleged kingpin in Bengaluru in connection with the Bitcoin scandal last month.

The Congress government had recently issued an order directing reinvestigation into the sensational Bitcoin scam allegedly involving top BJP leaders in the state.

Sources explain that the Bitcoin scandal had taken place after the arrest of alleged international hacker Srikrishna a.k.a Sriki by the CCB police in Bengaluru. It was alleged that using the accused hacker, the ruling BJP leaders had minted huge money by allowing him to commit the scandal in custody in 2020.

The police had arrested the accused while allegedly selling drugs. The probe revealed that the accused had siphoned off Rs 11 crores by hacking into online gaming companies and government web portals. The accused had allegedly converted the money into Bitcoins and carried out drug peddling in Bengaluru.   

Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala earlier, in his series of tweets had attacked the BJP central leadership as well as former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai over the Bitcoin scandal.

“What is the role and responsibility of the Basavaraj Bommai? (who was the home minister in charge at the relevant time) and others in the state government? Surjewala had questioned, causing severe embarrassment to the BJP.

"The layers of the Bitcoin scam are finally being unearthed. Let Home Minister and Bommai answer. FBI in India to investigate India's biggest Bitcoins scam cover-up under the then Karnataka BJP government. If so, release details of the investigation and suspects including political people,” he had stated.

“How many Bitcoins were stolen? And of what value? Who in Karnataka is involved? Were the stolen Bitcoins transferred from the wallet of the arranged hacker Sri Krishna?” Surjewala had questioned.