BJP: Supriya Sule, Nana Patole used 'illegal bitcoin activities' to fund poll campaign
NEW DELHI: On the eve of polling in Maharashtra, BJP on Tuesday accused MVA, including Congress's Maharashtra president Nana Patole and NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule of being involved in "illegal bitcoin activities" to fund their poll campaign.
At a presser, BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi questioned the "involvement of Sule and Patole" in "illegal bitcoin activities", suggesting such funds might have been used to influence elections. Sule refuted the claims and said "spreading false information to manipulate voters was a familiar tactic". Earlier in the day, Ravindranath Patil, a former IPS officer charged in a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case, claimed Sule and Patole had misused bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case to finance Maharashtra polls.
At a presser, BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi questioned the "involvement of Sule and Patole" in "illegal bitcoin activities", suggesting such funds might have been used to influence elections. Sule refuted the claims and said "spreading false information to manipulate voters was a familiar tactic". Earlier in the day, Ravindranath Patil, a former IPS officer charged in a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case, claimed Sule and Patole had misused bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case to finance Maharashtra polls.
In a statement to ANI, Patil accused Amitabh Gupta, ex-police commissioner of Pune, and Bhagyashri Nautake, ex-deputy commissioner handling cyber crime investigations, of being involved in the alleged bitcoin misappropriation scheme benefiting political leaders. According to Patil, cryptocurrency funds were also utilised during Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
Patil claimed one Gaurav Mehta, who he said was a witness in the case against him who worked for an audit firm named Sarathi Associates, had revealed bitcoin wallets were manipulated under direction of Gupta, the then police commissioner of Pune, and the funds were used in both Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
Patil further claimed he was in possession of voice recordings from Mehta and said, "Supriya Sule has sent three voice note messages in which she is heard asking Gaurav Mehta to encash bitcoins as the funds are needed for the polls. She is also heard assuring him not to worry about inquiries and one they come to power, they will handle them." The audio was played at Trivedi's presser.
The BJP functionary claimed "bigger people" were involved, hinting at a broader network of corruption. "The conversation refers to a dealer named Gaurav Mehta, along with a mention of a Mr Gupta... We want to ask Supriya Sule whether she has any connection with Gaurav Mehta or this Mr Gupta?" he asked. Trivedi also posed five questions to MVA and Congress: "Are you involved in bitcoin transactions? Are you in contact with this person named Gaurav Gupta or Mehta? Are the chats yours (of your leaders) or not? Is the audio in the audio clips yours or not? Who are the 'big people'?"