No mention of seized 31 Bitcoins in chargesheet filed by CCB

Bengaluru: A lot of suspicion is being raised over investigation into the 'Bitcoin scandal' by CCB police who arrested Shri Krishna alias Shriki, 26, who hacked the servers of online exchange and online gaming websites.

Foreign and central investigating teams are collecting information on this multi-billion bitcoin (BTC) scam in the State which pitted the opposition Congress against the ruling BJP. The teams are probing the manner in which the CCB police picked up Sri Krishna. Earlier, Shri Krishna, the original mastermind of the bitcoin scam, was arrested in a drug case. At the trial, he was known to be an international hacker. CCB inspector Sridhar Poojar, who has been tracking a list of cyber crimes committed by Sriki, has registered a complaint at Cottonpet Station under the Information Technology Act.

According to the complaint, an FIR was filed against Sriki and his friends Sunish Hegde, Prasidh Shetty, Sujay Raj, Hemant Muddappa and others. The team headed by CCB inspector G Laxmikanthaiah, who took over the investigation of the case on the orders of Commissioner Kamal Pant and Joint Commissioner Sandeep Patil had arrested Sri Krishna and another accused, Robin Khandelwala.

A press release was issued on the arrest of Sri Krishna by the CCB police. They had mentioned that the 31bitcoins worth Rs 9 crore were seized. However, There is no mention of 31 bit coins in the chargesheet submitted to court. This only raises eyebrows over the CCB investigation. The question that remains unanswered is the whereabouts of the 31 bit coins. According to the chargesheet, the CCB police confiscated an Apple laptop (with display damaged), harddisk, three wallets of different companies and a bag.

Clean chit for the accused:

Hemant Muddappa has been given a clean chit in the case, in which his name was mentioned in the complaint filed by inspector Sridhar Poojar. This has further raised doubts on the CCB investigation. This raises the question about the genuineness of the inspector's complaint filed at Cottonpet police station. Hemant has been cleared of charges made against him by its own CCB inspector.

The questions that beg answers are: Why was Hemant's name dropped from the chargesheet? Who was accused of supporting Sri Krishna's activities and getting money from the State government's e-procurement website? Are the CCB cops under pressure to shield bigwigs in the bitcoin scam?

The CCB police have allegedly registered a complaint without any reason against Sujay Raj, 29, in the case. Sujay's lawyer S Sudhanwa said, "There is also an injunction against publication of news that tarnish my client's dignity."

Senior police officers are questioning Sriki in a secret place. Also, cybercrime sleuths and forensic science experts are likely to question the hacker. The Bitcoin scandal has led to a political battle between the Congress and the BJP, as the main accused Srikrishna alias Sriki was arrested again. He was picked up from a five-star hotel by Jeevanbhima Nagar police on Saturday in connection with a brawl case along with Vishnu Bhat, the son of a popular jeweller.