New Delhi, Nov 19 BJP National Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi on Tuesday raised five questions and alleged that NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole (both MVA partners) were involved in a crypto fraud to fund Maharashtra election campaigns.
Trivedi said that facts have come to light which is exposing the true face of MVA. “It is posing a serious question of how free and fair elections can be conducted,” he said.
“Mohhabat ki Dukan ka samaan kahi Dubai se to nahi raha hai,” said Trivedi while addressing a press conference.
He showed some clips of interactions to consolidate his claims and also posed five questions to Congress: 1) Are Congress leaders involved in bitcoin trading; 2) Has Congress any links with dealers -- Gaurav Mehtra or Gupta; 3) Is Congress involved in the dialogues; 4) Who are these big people whose references have been made in the chats; 5) Has Congress used digital technology for corruption.
He said that the BJP hopes that the EC is monitoring the developments and will take appropriate action.
Earlier, former IPS officer Ravindra Nath Patil on Tuesday made explosive claims, alleging that Supriya Sule and Nana Patole were involved in a cryptocurrency scam.
He accused the two leaders of using Bitcoin manipulation to fund election campaigns. Patil further alleged that the cash obtained from cryptocurrency dealings is being utilised in the current election campaign in Maharashtra. Similar manipulation has been resorted to during Lok Sabha elections in 2024, he added.
Speaking to IANS, Patil implicated Pune's former Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta and cybercrime investigator Bhagyashree Navatke, claiming that they were involved in the Bitcoin scam and had received protection from political leaders Sule and Patole.
Sharing the details of the whole scam, Patil explained that in 2018, his company had hired him (Patil) as a cryptocurrency expert to investigate the scam. However, in 2022, he was arrested on fraud charges and spent 14 months in jail. During this time, he was trying to ascertain as to why he was framed. He and his colleagues continued working to get to the facts. And finally, they have come across startling facts, he added.
Patil revealed that a key witness in the case, Gaurav Mehta—an employee of an audit firm—had contacted him several times in the past few days. When Patil finally responded, Mehta shared details about the 2018 cryptocurrency fraud investigation. Mehta alleged that during the arrest of Amit Bhardwaj, a cryptocurrency trader, a hardware wallet containing Bitcoin was seized.
However, according to Mehta, the wallet was replaced by another one allegedly under the direction of Amitabh Gupta, the then-Pune Police Commissioner. Mehta claimed that Patil and his colleagues were arrested unjustly, while the real culprits were Gupta and his team.
Patil also accused Mehta of naming Supriya Sule and Nana Patole in the scam. Mehta alleged that they were using the cash obtained through Bitcoin manipulation to fund election campaigns, including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the current Maharashtra Assembly elections. Patil claimed that Mehta, under Gupta's direction, made multiple trips to Dubai to convert Bitcoin into cash, which was then used to finance election activities in Maharashtra.
Patil told IANS that Mehta sent several voice recordings on ‘Signal’ -- social media app -- including messages from Supriya Sule requesting cash in exchange for Bitcoin. In the recordings, Sule allegedly assured Mehta that there was no need to worry about the investigation, as they would handle it once they came to power.
--IANS
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