Pune Police Uncover Crypto Scandal: Officers Caught in the Crossfire

Pune, 5th March 2024: The police officers who are investigating the case of cryptocurrency are caught in the crossfire. Police sources said that for the past week, a confidential investigation has been underway against a police inspector, a sub-inspector and two police employees. The mobile sets, laptops and other electronic items have been confiscated from them. The investigation has been kept under wraps. Pune City Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said that there is no such investigation.

Four persons, including the police inspector, are being questioned every morning. The auditor has been summoned for inquiry in the case. The Additional Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and Inspector of Police are questioning the four persons.

A computer expert and a senior retired police officer were arrested by Pune police’s cyber crime branch in the case of cryptocurrency fraud. The seized crypto currency from the accused in the case was transferred to his account. The computer expert and the retired police officer were both arrested after these facts came to light during the investigation. The seized 60 bitcoins from the accused were transferred to the personal account of the computer expert. The seized bitcoin was worth over Rs 20 crore.

Pune Police are digging deeper into a 2018 cryptocurrency scam case involving brothers Amit and Vivek Bhardwaj. The duo allegedly defrauded individuals with false investment promises. Originally, the police arrested 17 people, including Amit, and seized 241 bitcoins. Now, the Pune Police’s cybercrime branch, aided by a retired officer and a cyber expert, has reopened the investigation due to reports that one accused diverted a portion of the stolen bitcoins. This renewed effort aims to recover the missing funds and potentially uncover further accomplices in the scheme.