SIT cites non-cooperation of police officer arrested in Karnataka Bitcoin scam case, opposes bail

During the bail arguments connected Friday, the SIT told a sessions tribunal that the DSP fertile serviceman had not cooperated successful the probe but alternatively tried to schoolhouse the investigators connected conducting the probe and reportedly chromatic walled the questioning.

The DSP and different constabulary officers, who were a portion of the Central Crime Branch portion of the Bengaluru constabulary successful the 2020-21 period, are accused of tampering with grounds successful the signifier of 2 laptops that were seized from planetary hacker Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki aft his apprehension successful November 2020 by a CCB squad led by Pujar.

The SIT is investigating whether the constabulary officers siphoned disconnected Bitcoin worthy Rs 850 crore that were reportedly accessible to the hacker astatine the clip of his arrest.

During the bail proceeding connected Friday, the SIT told the tribunal that Pujar had failed to explicate during his custodial interrogation arsenic to wherefore the laptops seized betwixt November 17 to November 19 of 2020 from the hacker by the constabulary were recovered to person been illegally accessed adjacent aft they were secured by the police.

The SIT filed a lawsuit of demolition of documents and cheating against unnamed officers of the Bengaluru Central Crime Branch constabulary connected August 8, 2023 successful transportation with alleged manipulation of physics devices seized from Sriki and his associates.

The SIT quoted a integer forensics study from the authorities forensic subject laboratory dated February 20, 2023, to authorities that an Apple MacBook and a hard disk seized connected November 17, 2020, by the constabulary was recovered to person been tampered betwixt November 18 and 20. A 2nd MacBook seized connected November 19, 2020, was tampered betwixt November 20 and 21, it is alleged.

The SIT besides referred to voluntary statements of Sriki and 2 method experts who were witnesses to suggest that CCB constabulary officers facilitated the amerciable accessing of crypto wallets containing crypto currency to the tune of Rs 850 crore belonging to Sriki pursuing his apprehension successful November 2020.

Citing a CDAC forensic study for the laptops seized from the hacker and statements of witnesses, the SIT has alleged that arsenic galore arsenic 4,000 Bitcoin valued astatine Rs 850 crore successful 2020 was astir apt accessed illegally by constabulary officers aft the hacker’s arrest.

A CDAC study dated January 23, 2024 has stated that 1 of the laptops seized from Sriki connected November 17, 2020, was utilized to entree crypto wallets astatine cryptocurrency web-sites and for accessing online gaming platforms portion it was successful constabulary custody.

The study besides indicated the uncovering connected the usage of anonymizing tools successful a deliberate effort to conceal online activities, information manipulation, transportation of files to outer devices, and deletion of past — which amounts to tampering of integer evidence, the SIT has reported.

The counsel for the constabulary serviceman argued that helium was being forced to uncover the names of persons successful higher positions who orchestrated the activities of the CCB erstwhile the hacker was arrested. The counsel said that elder constabulary officers of the fertile of DCP and Joint Commissioner, who were supervising the probe successful 2020, had not been questioned by the SIT.

The tribunal posted the substance for orders connected October 29. Earlier connected September 23, the Karnataka High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Pujar.

“The allegations made against the petitioner and the co-accused shocks the conscience of the Court arsenic good arsenic the wide public, wherever it is alleged that the petitioner and different constabulary officers who clasp precocious posts successful the transgression justness strategy person stooped to specified a level of tampering the documents with the assistance of the accused successful the case,” the High Court observed.

The tribunal said that “a elaborate probe is precise overmuch indispensable to unearth existent facts”.

“If the petitioner is guiltless and if baseless allegations are made against him arsenic contended, helium volition travel retired cleanable aft investigation. But astatine this stage, the materials connected grounds make a unreality of uncertainty connected the behaviour of the petitioner,” it added successful the September 23 order.

Background of the case

The CID SIT was constituted by the Congress authorities successful June 2023 to probe the alleged Bitcoin scam from the tenure of the BJP authorities (2019-2023) wherever cryptocurrency worthy crores – allegedly stolen by the hacker from planetary exchanges and gaming sites — were successful crook siphoned disconnected by the constabulary and politicians aft the hacker’s apprehension successful 2020.

Sriki is accused of aggregate hacking crimes successful India too, including extortion of gaming sites similar Poker Baazi successful 2020, the theft of Rs 11.5 crore from the Karnataka e-procurement portal successful 2019 and 60.6 Bitcoin worthy Rs 1.64 crore successful 2017 from the Unocoin cryptocurrency speech successful Karnataka.

Sriki and his accountant Robin Khandelwal were initially arrested by the Bengaluru transgression subdivision successful November 2020 connected charges of buying drugs online utilizing Bitcoin.

The lawsuit involving the acquisition of drugs connected the darknet yet led to the cracking of respective cybercrimes successful Karnataka – involving the past 26-year-old hacker Srikrishna Ramesh – including a Rs 11.5 crore heist from the authorities e-procurement portal successful 2019.

The handling of the cases involving the hacker by the constabulary nether the BJP authorities successful Karnataka aft the arrests successful November 2020 resulted successful allegations of corruption by the Congress erstwhile it was successful absorption betwixt 2020-2023.

There are allegations of constabulary officials grabbing a ample cache of Bitcoin that was recovered successful the crypto wallets of Sriki aft his apprehension successful November 2020.

After the SIT was constituted, 2 caller FIRs were filed successful August 2023 and January 2024 with respect to the tampering of grounds and alleged amerciable confinement of the hacker and his subordinate by the constabulary successful 2020-21.

Apart from Pujar, the SIT has arrested 3 erstwhile Bengaluru transgression subdivision constabulary officers – Prashanth Babu, Chandradhar S R and Lakshmikanthaiah successful the 2 cases filed aft it took implicit the probe successful 2023. The different officers person been granted bail by the courts.