The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday raided the Chhattisgarh-based premises of Gaurav Mehta, who is linked to the election-related bitcoin case in Maharashtra. The search is being conducted as part of an ongoing investigation into a money laundering case. Sources said that raids are being conducted under the provisions of PMLA in Mehta’s premises in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur. BJP has accused NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Congress leader Nana Patole of illegal use of Bitcoin in the ongoing elections. Its leaders played a recording purporting to be Sule’s voice. Sule has denied the allegations.
Panic Amid Voting in Maharashtra
Voting for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly continues on Wednesday. Sources said the ED is probing the role of Mehta and several others, who collected “huge” sums of money from innocent people in the form of bitcoin (Rs 6,600 crore in 2017) and falsely promised them 10 percent monthly in the form of bitcoins. return’. The matter is related to police FIRs registered in Maharashtra and Delhi.
What is the case for Bitcoin manipulation?
Actually, the mastermind of this scam was a person named Amit Bharadwaj who ran this scam in the name of investing in Bitcoin. Hundreds of investors were defrauded. Investing in Bitcoin promised a return of 10% per month. After this scam, Amit Bharadwaj fled to Dubai but was sent back to India. He died of a heart attack in the year 2022. In this scam, Amit Bharadwaj gave 285 bitcoins to Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra in the name of opening a bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine. At that time the value of these bitcoins was around 150 crore rupees.
About 40 FIRs were registered in this case in Maharashtra and Punjab. Former IPS and cyber expert Ravindra Nath was also included in the investigation team to probe the case. It is alleged that the then Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta and one IPS Bhagyashree seized these bitcoin wallets and in return kept the bitcoin wallets which did not contain money.
Gaurav Mehta testified when Rabindranath went to jail.
In this scam, Rabindranath was arrested and sent to jail. Gaurav Mehta testified when Rabindranath went to jail. Gaurav Mehta is an important character in this case. ED arrested Shimpi Bharadwaj, Nitin Gaur and Nikhil Mahajan in this case. Shimpi Bhardwaj is the wife of Amit Bhardwaj’s brother Ajay Bhardwaj. The ED has also filed a chargesheet in the court against Amit Bharadwaj and his family.
‘Supriya Sule-Nana Patole Spent Bitcoin Scam Cash In Elections’
Former IPS officer Ravindranath said, ‘My company called me as a cryptocurrency expert to investigate a case in 2018. I was arrested in 2022 on charges of cheating in that case. I spent 14 months in prison after the trial. Meanwhile I was wondering what happened? What was the matter? Why was I deceived? I was accompanied by other colleagues. We were working to find out the truth.
Amit Bharadwaj was arrested in 2018
With this, the former IPS said, ‘One witness against us is Gaurav Mehta, who is an employee of an audit firm called Sarathi Associates. A day before yesterday he called me several times for 4-5 hours, but I did not answer. Finally, when I replied 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 culprit was Amitabh Gupta and his team.
This is how Supriya Sule’s name came up
A former IPS officer said, ‘He (Gaurav Mehta) took the names of two IPS officers, Amitabh Gupta and Bhagyashree Nautak. He named two leaders, one Supriya Sule and Nana Patole. Patil alleged that after this he told me that Bitcoin was being used in this assembly election.
Funding in Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections
Patil further alleged that Bitcoin money was used to fund Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Patil claims to be voice notes allegedly sent by alleged witness Gaurav Mehta. A former IPS officer said, ‘Supriya Sule sent three voice note messages in which she heard Gaurav asking to redeem bitcoins as funds were needed for the elections. She also heard him assure them not to worry about the investigation and that they would handle it once they came to power.
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