Bengaluru: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Bitcoin scam in Karnataka has arrested two more men in the case. This is the third arrest since the formation of the special team to investigate the case.
The arrested men have been identified as Nitin Mesharam and Darshit Patel. Both are residents of Maharashtra’s Nagpur. The duo had links with the prime suspect in the case Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki.
The SIT on Thursday arrested a man named Harwinder Singh from Delhi who reportedly helped Sriki in money laundering. Singh was the first one to be arrested by the SIT since its formation by the Congress-led government in the state.
The SIT officials are interrogating the role of three men in the scam and trying to find out how much money they received from the proceeds of the hacking.
What’s the Bitcoin case all about?
The Karnataka government’s e-procurement site was hacked by unknown people twice siphoning off Rs 11.5 crore. The issue came to light in 2021 when Basavaraj Bommai was the Chief Minister.
The main suspect in the case Sriki was arrested by the police but was let go within a few days of questioning. This gave ammo to the then opposition Congress leaders and accused several BJP leaders of involvement in the case.
After the Congress government came to power, it formed an SIT and ordered officials to speed up the probe in the case. Last month, the SIT raided Sriki’s residence in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting a parallel investigation into the case and has filed a chargesheet against 18 people including Sriki. The ED has named Sriki as the prime suspect and is accused of hacking the government website, cryptocurrency exchanges and poker sites.
Also read: Karnataka govt orders SIT probe into Bitcoin scam suspecting BJP leaders involvement
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