Wed Nov 20 15:21:23 UTC 2024: ## CBI Summons Auditor in Multi-Crore Bitcoin Scam Linked to Maharashtra Politicians

**New Delhi** – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Gaurav Mehta, an employee of auditing firm Sarathi Associates, in connection with a multi-crore bitcoin scam. This follows an Enforcement Directorate (ED) search of Mehta’s property in Raipur, Chhattisgarh earlier today.

The scam, involving an alleged Ponzi scheme run by the late Amit Bhardwaj and his brother Ajay Bhardwaj, is estimated to have defrauded investors of up to ₹6,600 crore (approximately $800 million USD) in 2017 through the sale of bitcoins promising exorbitant returns. The CBI has already filed a case against the Bhardwaj brothers.

The case took a political turn during the Maharashtra Assembly elections when retired IPS officer Ravindranath Patil accused Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule and Congress leader Nana Patole of involvement in the fraud, alleging that funds were used in their election campaigns. These allegations were amplified by the BJP, with Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accusing Sule and Patole of using illegal bitcoin transactions to influence election results.

Ms. Sule has vehemently denied the allegations, challenging the BJP to a public debate on the matter. The ED’s investigation focuses on the money laundering angle, stemming from initial FIRs filed in Maharashtra and Delhi against the Bhardwaj family and several multi-level marketing agents involved in the scheme. The CBI’s summoning of Mehta suggests a widening investigation into the financial aspects of this complex case.

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