New Delhi [India]: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at the premises of Gaurav Mehta, an employee of audit firm Sarathi Associates, in connection with an alleged bitcoin scam case on Wednesday. The searches are being carried out in Chhattisgarh's Raipur.
The move comes after Supriya Sule, Member of Parliament from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), filed a cybercrime complaint with the Election Commission of India following allegations of using bitcoin to fund the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The complaint targets Gaurav Mehta and former Indian Police Service officer from Pune, Ravindranath Patil.
A day before the state of Maharashtra goes to the polls, Ravindranath Patil, former-IPS officer from Pune made a major allegation against NCP-SP Leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole.
The former IPS officer had alleged that the two leaders had misappropriated bitcoins from a 2018 Cryptocurrency Fraud Case and had used by the same to fund the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly Elections.
Speaking to ANI, Patil alleged that Amitabh Gupta, then Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Bhagyashri Nautake, then Deputy Commissioner of Police handling the Cyber Crime Investigations were involved in the misappropriation of bitcoins, which are eventually being used by the two political leaders.
"My company called me as a cryptocurrency expert to investigate a case in 2018. I was arrested in that case in 2022 under allegations of fraud. I spent 14 months in jail after a trial. During that time, I was wondering what had happened, what the case was and why was I trapped. There were other colleagues also with me. We were working on finding out the truth. A witness against us, Gaurav Mehta, who is an employee of an audit firm named Sarathi Associates," he said.
"A day before yesterday, he called me multiple times for 4-5 hours, but I did not respond... Finally, when I responded, he told me that in 2018, when Amit Bharadwaj was arrested, he had a cryptocurrency hardware wallet... That wallet was replaced by the then Commissioner Amitabh Gupta and another wallet was kept. We were arrested but the real perpetrators were Amitabh Gupta and his team. He (Gaurav Mehta) took the names of two IPS officers, Amitabh Gupta and Bhagyashri Nautake. He took two people's name one is Supriya Sule and Nana Patole. He then told me that in this assembly elections bitcoins are being used," Patil alleged further.
Patil also claimed that he has access to voice notes allegedly sent by the alleged witness Gaurav Mehta. "Supriya Sule has sent three voice note messages in which she is heard asking Gaurav to encash bitcoins as the funds are needed for the elections. She is also heard assuring him not to worry about the inquiries and one they come to power, they will handle them," he said.
However, Supriya Sule on Wednesday refuted all allegation levelled against her saying the allegations are completely false.
Speaking to ANI, Sule said, "I have filed a defamation case and a criminal case. I am ready to answer his (Sudhanshu Trivedi) 5 questions wherever he wants. Time of his choice, place of his choice and platform of his choice. I am ready to answer him because all the allegations are completely false. All lies."
Maharashtra Congress President, Nana Patole Congress also denied the charges and said that the voice in the purported audio clips alluded to by Ravindra Patil was not his.
"The IPS officer brought by BJP, Ravindra Patil is not even an IPS officer. BJP has become a party of lies. On the eve of elections, they are doing all this. My voice is not there in the audio. I am a farming man; I don't even understand Bitcoin," he said.
"We have given a legal notice and filed an FIR. We will also file a defamation case against them. Be it Sudhanshu Trivedi or Ravindra Patil. Everything will be clear soon. BJP is only lying. We will fight them legally...I have nothing to do with this. We will file defamation...Our government is going to be formed in Maharashtra, we will conduct a proper inquiry in this," Patole added.
The BJP and the NCP have demanded an investigation into the allegations of Ravindra Patil. (ANI)
