Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday asserted that his government is “ready to sacrifice anyone” involved in the multi-crore Bitcoin case and challenged the Congress to name the “influential people” it has alleged are behind it.
“The Congress says there are some influential people involved in it (Bitcoin case). If you know them, then name them. We will investigate it without any second thought. If there is anyone involved in the country or in the state, we will initiate action mercilessly,” the CM told reporters.
“We are the ones who brought out this case. We will not spare anyone and are ready to sacrifice anyone involved in it. There is no question of any second thought on our decision,” he added.
The chief minister’s remarks came a day after Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that ‘influential politicians’ are involved in the case after officials seized bitcoins worth ₹nine crore from a city-based hacker, Srikrishna alias Sriki, who was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in November last year. Sriki is accused of hacking into government portals, sourcing drugs through the dark net and paying for it through cryptocurrency.
Accusing the state government of covering up the issue, Surjewala sought an independent probe by a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team.
{{/usCountry}}Accusing the state government of covering up the issue, Surjewala sought an independent probe by a Supreme Court-monitored special investigation team.
{{/usCountry}}Hitting back, the CM said that the “issue had become bigger” because the Opposition did not probe the matter properly when it was in power.