The Indian National Congress (INC) has accused the Karnataka government of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) of covering up a bitcoin fraud.
On Saturday, the Indian National Congress demanded an impartial probe by a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team with multi-agency components.
Since the scandal arose last year, Congress has targeted Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Srikrishna Ramesh, 26, was arrested in 2019 as part of a narcotics bust. Ramesh had hacked the Karnataka state government’s e-procurement portal and misdirected $1.3 million.
Confessing to the crime
He admitted to hacking Bitfinex and stole 2,000 bitcoins in 2016. Congress claims Ramesh was arrested in November 2020 and held for 100 days without informing Interpol.
On April 24, 2021, the Bengaluru Commissioner of Police notified Interpol, the CBI, and the Enforcement Directorate.
The Bengaluru police claimed to have retrieved the bitcoin, which they later reversed. Randeep Singh Surjewala demanded that Bommai divulge the names of actors implicated in the bitcoin scam.
Bommai to congress
Asked why Congress didn’t investigate Ramesh after the Bitfinex breach, Bommai claimed the Bhartiya Janta Party government initiated the probe when Ramesh was involved in the narcotics case. They investigated the bitcoin scam.
Bommai alleges Congress permitted it to grow while in power, but now that the BJP is looking into it, they are now under the government’s crosshairs.
He attacked Surjewala for making his claims on Twitter and urged Congress to reveal the individuals behind alleged BJP corruption. He said he was willing to die for anyone.
Bommai said they will apprehend anyone found responsible wherever in the country or state.
Image courtesy of Cointelegraph News/YouTube
