Slow response from foreign countries behind delay in Bitcoin case probe: Karnataka Home dept

Bengaluru: Slow responses from different countries to the Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) requests for information have delayed the probe into the high-profile Bitcoin case, according to the Home Department. 

Responding to BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal's question about the snail-paced probe, the department said that of the 32 requests for information sent by the SIT to crypto exchanges around the world, only 10 had yielded responses, but none provided actionable information. 

According to the answer submitted by the department, 15 requests were sent via Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), seven via Letter Rogatory (LR), and 10 via Interpol Blue Corner Notices. The SIT has received replies for five MLATs, three Blue Corner Notices, and two LR requests. 

The SIT, led by senior IPS officer Manish Kharbikar, is investigating nine separate cases. Investigations have been completed in two cases, and the SIT has filed the chargesheets in both cases. It has named serial hacker Srikrishna alias Sriki in both cases, according to the Home Department. 

However, in one of the cases, the SIT is awaiting response from a crypto exchange to substantiate the accusations against one of the 11 accused, according to the chargesheet accessed by DH.