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The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Karnataka’s Bitcoin scam has named Mohammed Haris Nalapad, lad of Congress MLA N. A. Haris, successful its chargesheet, arsenic co-accused, making him the archetypal politically connected idiosyncratic to beryllium arraigned successful the case.
The scam occurred during the tenure of BJP, and the Congress had alleged the engagement of elder BJP leaders up of the 2023 assembly polls.
Responding to Mr. Nalapad being chargesheeted, Home Minister Priyank Kharge said that arsenic acold arsenic helium knew, determination were much names, including those from the BJP and that these names would besides emerge. “We person done it transparently. What is incorrect is incorrect and cannot beryllium defended,” helium said.
Responding to notices by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Mr. Nalapad, Mr. Kharge asked who controls the cardinal bureau and asked if the bureau was being selective successful it's action.
‘Nalapad cardinal beneficiary’
The chargesheet, filed earlier a Bengaluru tribunal connected May 20, alleges that Nalapad was among the cardinal beneficiaries of 60.6 Bitcoins allegedly stolen by serial hacker Srikrishna, alias Sriki, from Tumakuru-based crypto speech Unocoin successful 2017.
The SIT chargesheet alleged that Nalapad played a relation successful converting the stolen cryptocurrency into cash, which was allegedly routed done hawala channels. The complaint expanse names Nalapad, Sriki and the latter’s accountant Robin Khandelwal arsenic accused.
The ED, which has separately probed the case, had earlier alleged that Mohammed Haris Nalapad, his member Omar Farook Nalapad and Aqeeb Khan, grandson of erstwhile Union curate K. Rahman Khan, benefited from the proceeds of crime.
The stolen Bitcoins were valued astatine astir ₹1.14 crore successful 2017 and are present estimated to beryllium worthy implicit ₹35 crore.
The Bitcoin scam came to airy pursuing Sriki’s apprehension successful November 2020 successful a dark-web cause procurement case. Subsequent investigations linked him to aggregate cybercrimes, including the alleged hacking of the Karnataka government’s e-procurement portal and the theft of ₹11.5 crore successful 2019.
The Congress authorities constituted an SIT successful 2023 to reinvestigate the case. The Nalapad brothers were questioned by the SIT successful 2024 and again successful February 2025. On April 20 this year, the ED conducted searches astatine locations linked to Sriki, the Nalapad brothers and Aqeeb Khan.
According to the ED, the Nalapad brothers were adjacent associates of Sriki and among the main beneficiaries of the alleged proceeds of crime. The agency’s probe nether the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, is continuing.
Political conspiracy
Mohammed Haris Nalapad termed the chargesheet and allegations against him a governmental conspiracy to scuttle his father's chances to go a minister. “We volition get a ministerial berth and springiness a befitting reply,” helium told mediapersons connected Wednesday.
