Slug: Relief for police officers
CH NEWS
BENGALURU
The Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed a B-report before a Bengaluru court in relation to four police officers who were earlier named in the high-profile Bitcoin scam investigation, effectively giving them relief after the Home Department declined to sanction their prosecution.
According to sources, the Home Department refused to grant the mandatory prosecution sanction required to file a chargesheet against serving police officers. Consequently, the SIT submitted a B-report to the court, indicating that proceedings against the officers could not continue in the absence of the required approval.
The officers who have been excluded from the chargesheet are Deputy Superintendent of Police Sridhar Poojary, Police Inspectors Chandradhar, Laxmikanthaiyya and D.M. Prashanth Babu.
While the officers have been dropped from the case, the SIT has filed a chargesheet before the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court against cyber expert and GCID Technologies owner K.S. Santosh Kumar.
Investigators alleged that Santosh Kumar misused cryptocurrency wallets belonging to alleged hacker Srikrishna alias Sriki and Robin Khandelwal. The SIT claimed to have gathered documentary and digital evidence indicating fraudulent transactions and tampering with electronic records during the investigation.
Sources said the chargesheet incorporates technical evidence collected during the probe and seeks prosecution of the accused cyber expert under relevant provisions of law.
The Bitcoin case originated in 2020 after Kempegowda Nagar police registered a case against Srikrishna alias Sriki and others for allegedly importing hydro ganja through the dark web.
During the investigation by the Central Crime Branch (CCB), officials seized electronic devices, including pen drives, hard disks and Apple MacBooks. The probe later uncovered allegations that the accused had hacked the state’s e-procurement portal and international gaming applications and laundered money using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Subsequently, the investigation was transferred to the CID’s Special Investigation Team for further inquiry.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel money laundering investigation, recently filed a 3,500-page prosecution complaint before a special court for economic offences. The ED has alleged that Sriki, Robin Khandelwal and Sunish Hegde were part of an organised network involved in illegal cryptocurrency transactions.
The court will now decide whether to accept the B-report filed for the four police officers and take cognisance of the chargesheet filed against Santosh Kumar.