Mohammed Haris Nalapad.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the infamous Bitcoin case questioned Congress leader Mohammed Haris Nalapad, the son of Congress MLA NA Haris, on Thursday.
Nalapad responded to a summons issued by the investigating officer and appeared at the CID HQ on Thursday afternoon.
According to sources, Nalapad, the Karnataka Youth Congress president, was questioned “as part of the routine investigation process”.
“I was issued a notice to appear on Friday. However, due to personal commitments, I appeared on Thursday. I am not afraid of anything. They needed some clarification and I have given that. I have no involvement in this,” Nalapad told the media after his questioning.
Nalapad further said that the investigators wanted to know how he knew serial hacker Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki, the prime accused.
“I have told this in the past, too, that I knew him [Sriki] since he was my brother’s friend. Rest, the investigation will reveal,” Nalapad added.
Nalapad and his brother Omar Haris Nalapad were questioned in June 2024 by the SIT in the same case. At the time, SIT sources had suggested that Sriki was acquainted with some associates of Nalapad and there were suspicions regarding financial transactions between Sriki and the Congress leader.
The Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah formed the SIT in 2023 to investigate the case. The SIT is looking into multiple angles, including the embezzlement of Bitcoins and the alleged involvement of police officers in evidence destruction and misleading the probe.