In Ahmedabad, a judicial ruling has resulted in life sentences for 14 individuals implicated in a Bitcoin extortion case that transpired in 2018.
The convicted individuals include 11 active and former members of the police force, alongside a former legislator affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as reported by The Times of India.
According to Special Judge B.B. Jadav, the group was found guilty of conspiring to abduct a Surat-based businessman and coerce him into surrendering both cryptocurrency and cash.
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The victim, Shailesh Bhatt, had previously regained a portion of his investment from the failed BitConnect program by acquiring Bitcoin
On February 11, 2018, Bhatt was forcibly taken into custody by officers under the direction of Anant Patel, belonging to the Amreli crime branch. He was transported to a farmhouse in the vicinity of Gandhinagar, where he endured beatings and pressure to confess to possessing 752 BTC, further admitting that he had entrusted 176 of those BTC to his associate, Kirit Paladiya.
Bhatt secured his release after agreeing to relinquish a share of the Bitcoin, in addition to $3.6 million in cash. Following complications with this handover, the group compelled him to liquidate 34 BTC from Paladiya’s digital wallet, valued at approximately $150,000.
Subsequently, Bhatt lodged a formal complaint with the Union Home Ministry of India. This led to the commencement of a criminal investigation, resulting in the apprehension of 15 individuals. During the court proceedings, Special Public Prosecutor Amit Patel presented evidence from 173 witnesses.
The court determined that all 11 officers were guilty of abusing their positions under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The remaining defendants were convicted on charges including kidnapping, illegal confinement, and acts of violence.
In related news, the Taiwan Shilin District Prosecutor’s Office recently indicted 14 individuals accused of orchestrating a cryptocurrency money laundering scheme. Learn more about this case by reading the complete story.