No info on FBI probing Bitcoin case: Home Minister

Amid a fresh offensive by the Congress on the sensational Bitcoin scam, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said Saturday he had no information whether the United States’ Federal Bureau (FBI) of Investigation has come to India for a probe.

“We don’t have information,” Jnanendra told reporters when asked about speculation that the FBI was in India.

“Everybody knows who is involved in the Bitcoin scam. Even Congress knows. Maybe the probe will start with them,” Jnanendra said, hitting out at the Congress for making “baseless allegations to defame the government”.

AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala has demanded the BJP government to come clean on allegations of corruption in the Bitcoin case.

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“Congress has no other issue. The election is nearing and they want to divert people's attention,” Jnanendra said.

Reacting to the Surjewala's tweets on the Bitcoin issue, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters: "I have replied to the issue in the Legislative Assembly itself. If he has any information on the issue, let him submit it instead of tweeting. It is meaningless."

The Bitcoin scam, which broke last year, created a sensation and is said to involve politicians.

“The news of investigation by the FBI on Indian soil is very concerning and it raises questions on the efficiency of Indian intelligence agencies. What justification does Union Home Minister Amit Shah have to say about this?” Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said in a series of tweets.

“The chronology of the alleged Bitcoin scam raises a lot of suspicion about involvement of BJP leaders. Why was the ED, CBI or Interpol not informed till it was reported by the media? Was it because then Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai was scared of being exposed?” the Congress leader said.

Siddaramaiah said that Bitcoins are said to have been used to launder money and mobilise drug cartels by "invisible hands" in power. “It is high time for BJP leaders to come clean about their involvement in the Bitcoin scam. Or, FBI may brand BJP leaders on the likes of Pablo Escobar, El Huevo & others,” he said.

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