SIT issues fresh notice to youth Congress leader Mohammed Haris in bitcoin scam probe: Report

Nalapad and his younger brother Omar Haris were previously interrogated in June 2024 over alleged financial links to hacker Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has issued a fresh notice to state Youth Congress president Mohammed Haris Nalapad, summoning him for further questioning in connection with the high-profile Bitcoin scam.

State Youth Congress president Mohammed Haris Nalapad(Instagram/@nalapad)

According to Indian Express report, the SIT is finalising two chargesheets in the case, one concerning the role of police officers accused of destroying evidence and another related to the alleged misappropriation of cryptocurrency after Sriki’s arrest in November 2020.

Officials are also probing whether stolen Bitcoin was used by Sriki and his associates between 2017 and 2023, the report added.

Nalapad and his younger brother Omar Haris were previously interrogated in June 2024 over alleged financial links to hacker Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki.

Investigators suspect the duo covered expenses related to Sriki’s luxury stays, travel, and other expenditures between 2017 and 2018. Their father, Congress MLA N A Haris, is the chairman of the Bangalore Development Authority.

Hacker Sriki first came under police radar in 2017 for hacking Unocoin Technology Pvt Ltd’s crypto exchange, stealing 60.6 Bitcoins worth ₹1.14 crore at the time. Following his arrest in 2020, investigators uncovered extensive links between him and several high-profile individuals, including businessmen and political figures.

Kolkata-based Bitcoin trader Robin Khandelwal, arrested in 2020, provided a voluntary statement linking Sriki to the Nalapad brothers. He claimed he met Sriki and his associates, including Mohammed and Omar Nalapad, at a five-star hotel in Bengaluru in January 2018. Sriki allegedly showcased hacked Bitcoin databases during their meeting.

While no direct financial transactions between Sriki and the Nalapads have been recorded, the hacker told CID officials in 2021 that he had invested 150 Bitcoin and 1,100 Ethereum with Mohammed Nalapad after meeting him in 2017. However, those named by Sriki have denied these claims.