the role of certain police personnel then posted with the Cyber Cell has also been under scanner for reportedly accepting gratification for being in favor of some of the accused in the case.(File/Representational)
INVESTIGATION of the nationwide Multi Level Marketing (MLM) Bitcoin scam, involving at least nine accused including two foreign returned brothers, was transferred from the Cyber Cell to the Crime Branch Friday. The order for transferring the probe to the Crime Branch were issued by the office of DIG, Chandigarh. The case file of around 4,000 pages will soon be handed over to the Crime Branch personnel.
The scam was unearthed in January 2018 and an FIR with the Chandigarh police was registered in May 2018 by at least nine people from Chandigarh and Mohali. The complainants had alleged that they invested money in bitcoins, but did not receive any profit. Meanwhile, the role of certain police personnel then posted with the Cyber Cell has also been under scanner for reportedly accepting gratification for being in favor of some of the accused in the case.
A police officer, requesting anonymity, said, “Earlier, one of the complainants in the case had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the transfer of investigation from the Cyber Cell to another wing, but the High Court rejected the application. At least four chargesheets, including two main and two supplementary, were filed against six accused in the local court. We received the orders for handing over the case documents to the Crime Branch.”
Apart from Chandigarh, FIRs in the case against the brothers Amit Bhardwaj and Vivek Bhardwaj and the others have been registered in Delhi, Pune and Bangalore, among others. Amit and Vivek Bhardwaj were arrested at IGI Airport in Delhi by Pune police in June 2018.
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