Key Points
- The CBI is investigating a Rs 6,600-crore bitcoin scam in Maharashtra.
- The main suspects are Amit and Ajay Bharadwaj, with Ajay currently on the run.
- Gaurav Mehta, another person involved, has been called in for questioning.
- The ED had already filed FIRs against the Bharadwaj brothers in multiple cities.
- BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Supriya Sule of being involved in illegal bitcoin transactions.
- Sule denied the allegations, calling them part of BJP’s “cheap politics” and sent a legal notice in response.
Looma News
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started investigating a massive bitcoin scam in Maharashtra, worth Rs 6,600 crore. The case involves two main suspects, Amit Bharadwaj and his brother Ajay Bharadwaj, who are central to the alleged fraud. Amit Bharadwaj passed away due to a heart attack earlier, while his brother Ajay is still on the run. The investigation was launched following a Supreme Court order.
The CBI filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the Bharadwaj brothers. The agency has also summoned Gaurav Mehta, another person involved in the case, to answer questions. Before the CBI’s involvement, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed FIRs against the Bharadwaj brothers in several cities, including Delhi and Pune, for allegedly cheating investors. The ED’s investigation came after a case was registered with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Maharashtra Police.
Political Allegations and Denials
The CBI’s probe is happening amid a political controversy in Maharashtra. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) MP Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole of being involved in illegal bitcoin transactions aimed at influencing election results. Trivedi also claimed that a former police commissioner and a bitcoin dealer were part of the scheme, which he said was meant to benefit the Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Supriya Sule, the daughter of NCP leader Sharad Pawar, strongly denied the charges, calling them unfounded and politically motivated. She argued that the audio clips played by Trivedi were fake and that the voice in the recording was not hers. Sule criticized the BJP for engaging in “cheap politics” and attempting to defame her. She added that she had sent a legal notice to the BJP and denied any involvement in the bitcoin scam, pointing out that she had spoken out against bitcoin in Parliament. Nana Patole also filed a complaint in response to the allegations.
