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Karnataka politicians may be involved in drugs, Bitcoin scam: Siddaramaiah

Earlier this year, CCB sleuths had seized Bitcoins worth Rs 9 crore from a Bengaluru-based hacker
Last Updated 27 October 2021, 15:58 IST

Adding fuel to speculation that some “influential” politicians from Karnataka could be involved in a drugs and cryptocurrency scam, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday went public with his concerns on this issue.

"There is information about the involvement of influential politicians of Karnataka in the drugs & Bitcoin scam. It is concerning that the investigating officers are trying to close the case to help those politicians..." he said in a tweet.

"The BJP government should not use their power to divert the investigation and they must ensure that the guilty are punished," he added.

Siddaramaiah's tweets come even as speculation is rife with various theories, one of which is that two politicians from the state are involved in the drugs and Bitcoin scam.

Earlier this year, CCB sleuths had seized Bitcoins worth Rs 9 crore from a Bengaluru-based hacker, Srikrishna alias Sriki. He was also accused of breaking into government portals and of sourcing drugs through the dark net, while paying for it through cryptocurrency. It is believed that some "high-profile" leaders and their kin were involved.

In the wake of these speculations, Bengaluru-based Citizen Rights Foundation has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding an investigation.

Foundation chairperson KA Paul, in his letter, said he researched and found three FIRs pending against Srikrishna. "Due to the intervention of people in power, he went scot-free. In the interest of the country, I sincerely feel a proper investigation is must (sic)," he stated.

Meanwhile, another letter addressed to Modi written by a pro-Hindutva activist Girish Bharadwaj drew a lot of attention.

In his October 19 letter, Bharadwaj calls for a ban on cryptocurrency, pointing to China, Indonesia and Turkey having declared it as illegal. He stated that cryptocurrencies are used by money launderers, cybercriminals and terror financiers as they offer anonymity and non-traceability, while quoting the examples of a few terror outfits such as the banned Bangladeshi group Ansar Al Islam, which has allegedly used cyptocurrency to route money to "terror groups".

While his letter received much attention, Bharadwaj clarified to DH that his letter was generic in nature. "I wrote it from a nationalist perspective. My letter was apolitical and had got nothing to do with any case in Karnataka," he said.

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(Published 27 October 2021, 15:56 IST)

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