The Karnataka government on Monday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to reopen and probe an alleged Bitcoin scam that had surfaced during the previous BJP regime.
The SIT will be led by Manish Kharbikar, an Additional Director General of Police in the Criminal Investigation Department of the State, and will include officers from various departments with expertise in investigating cyber and cryptocurrency-related crimes, said Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Monday. The team could also take the help of technical experts since the matter relates to cybercrime, he added.
The Bitcoin scam had surfaced during the BJP’s regime and the Congress, which was then in Opposition, had accused the government of trying to cover up the scandal as it involved big names. The prime suspect, Srikrishna alias Sriki, was accused of hacking the State government’s e-procurement website and siphoning off over ₹11.5 crore.