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Maharashtra Poll Funding: Key Leaders Named in Cash-for-Votes Controversy

November 20, 2024, 3:51 pm

The “Bitcoin cash-for-votes” controversy in Maharashtra’s 2024 Assembly elections involves allegations of misappropriating bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud to fund election campaigns. Key figures implicated include Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole.

2018 Cryptocurrency Fraud Case: A significant cryptocurrency scam was uncovered, leading to the arrest of individuals, including Amit Bharadwaj. During the investigation, a cryptocurrency hardware wallet was seized.

Allegations by Ravindranath Patil: On November 19, 2024, former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil alleged that the seized cryptocurrency wallet was replaced under the supervision of then Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta and Deputy Commissioner Bhagyashri Nautake. Patil claimed that bitcoins from this wallet were misappropriated and used by Supriya Sule and Nana Patole to fund their election campaigns. He also mentioned possessing voice notes from Gaurav Mehta, an employee of Sarathi Associates, implicating Sule in directing the encashment of bitcoins for election purposes.

Denials and Legal Actions: Both Supriya Sule and Nana Patole denied the allegations. Sule filed defamation and criminal cases, stating, “All the allegations are completely false. All lies.” Patole also dismissed the claims, asserting, “I am a farming man; I don’t even understand Bitcoin.” He announced plans to file defamation suits against those making the allegations.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) Involvement: On November 20, 2024, the ED conducted raids at the premises of Gaurav Mehta in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, in connection with the alleged bitcoin scam. These actions were part of a broader investigation into the misuse of cryptocurrencies for electoral funding.

Election Commission’s Role: The Election Commission of India received a cybercrime complaint from Supriya Sule regarding the allegations. The Commission is expected to monitor the situation closely, given the potential implications for electoral integrity.

Implications:

Electoral Integrity: If proven, the misuse of illicit funds for election campaigns undermines democratic processes and raises concerns about the fairness of the electoral system.

Political Repercussions: The allegations have intensified political tensions in Maharashtra, with parties accusing each other of corruption and unethical practices.

Regulatory Scrutiny: The case highlights the challenges regulators face in monitoring and controlling the use of cryptocurrencies, especially concerning illicit activities.

Also read: Chhattisgarh ED Raids Link Bitcoin Scam to Maharashtra Polls

As investigations continue, the full extent of the alleged scam and its impact on the Maharashtra Assembly elections remain to be seen.

Chhattisgarh ED Raids Link Bitcoin Scam to Maharashtra Polls

November 20, 2024, 3:34 pm

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on Wednesday at the premises of Gaurav Mehta, an employee of audit firm Sarathi Associates, in connection with an alleged bitcoin scam. The searches were carried out in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

The raids follow a cybercrime complaint filed by Supriya Sule, a Member of Parliament from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), with the Election Commission of India. The complaint alleged the use of bitcoin to fund the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections and targeted Gaurav Mehta and former Indian Police Service officer Ravindranath Patil from Pune.

On the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Ravindranath Patil alleged that Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole had misappropriated bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case and used them to fund the elections. Speaking to ANI, Patil accused Amitabh Gupta, the then Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Bhagyashri Nautake, the then Deputy Commissioner of Police handling cybercrime investigations, of being involved in the misappropriation.

“My company called me as a cryptocurrency expert to investigate a case in 2018. I was arrested in that case in 2022 under allegations of fraud. I spent 14 months in jail after a trial. During that time, I was wondering what had happened, what the case was, and why I was trapped. There were other colleagues also with me. We were working on finding out the truth. A witness against us, Gaurav Mehta, who is an employee of an audit firm named Sarathi Associates,” Patil stated.

“A day before yesterday, he called me multiple times for 4-5 hours, but I did not respond. Finally, when I responded, he told me that in 2018, when Amit Bharadwaj was arrested, he had a cryptocurrency hardware wallet. That wallet was replaced by the then Commissioner Amitabh Gupta, and another wallet was kept. We were arrested, but the real perpetrators were Amitabh Gupta and his team. He (Gaurav Mehta) took the names of two IPS officers, Amitabh Gupta and Bhagyashri Nautake. He took two people’s names, one is Supriya Sule and the other is Nana Patole. He then told me that in this assembly election, bitcoins are being used,” Patil alleged further.

Patil also claimed to have voice notes allegedly sent by Gaurav Mehta. “Supriya Sule has sent three voice note messages in which she is heard asking Gaurav to encash bitcoins as the funds are needed for the elections. She is also heard assuring him not to worry about the inquiries and once they come to power, they will handle them,” Patil added.

However, Supriya Sule refuted all allegations, calling them completely false. Sule said, “I have filed a defamation case and a criminal case. I am ready to answer his (Sudhanshu Trivedi’s) five questions wherever he wants—time of his choice, place of his choice, and platform of his choice. I am ready to answer him because all the allegations are completely false. All lies.”

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole also denied the allegations and claimed that the voice in the purported audio clips mentioned by Ravindra Patil was not his. “The IPS officer brought by BJP, Ravindra Patil, is not even an IPS officer. BJP has become a party of lies. On the eve of elections, they are doing all this. My voice is not there in the audio. I am a farming man; I don’t even understand Bitcoin,” Patole stated.

“We have given a legal notice and filed an FIR. We will also file a defamation case against them. Be it Sudhanshu Trivedi or Ravindra Patil. Everything will be clear soon. BJP is only lying. We will fight them legally. I have nothing to do with this. We will file defamation. Our government is going to be formed in Maharashtra, and we will conduct a proper inquiry into this,” he added.

Also read: “Signifies Unity…”: Nitin Gadkari Explains ‘Batenge To Katenge’ Amid Polls

Meanwhile, both the BJP and NCP have demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations made by Ravindra Patil.

ED Raids Punjab AAP MP Sanjeev Arora in Money Laundering Case

October 7, 2024, 10:23 am

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has raided the residence and office of Sanjeev Arora, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), located on Chandigarh Road in Ludhiana, as part of an investigation into a money laundering case. Officials confirmed the raids on Monday.

This follows a previous raid conducted by the ED on Saturday at the premises of real estate businessman Vikas Passi, which was related to the pearl chit fund scam.

This story is still developing, and more details are expected to emerge.

BJP’s Nishikant Dubey Says Rahul Gandhi’s ED Claims Divert Attention

August 2, 2024, 4:46 pm

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday targeted Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his “ED raids” remarks and said that the reason behind this is that the Congress policies and workers have failed in Wayanad and they want to divert attention from the issue.
Dubey also mentioned that if Rahul has not done any corruption, then ED will not conduct a raid.
“ED raids the corrupt. If they have done corruption then ED will raid, if they have not done corruption then there will be no raid. The reason for this (Rahul Gandhi’s post) is that Congress workers in Wayanad, Congress’s policies have failed, INDI is the coalition government, today if there was no central government then people’s lives would not have been saved. They want to divert attention from the issue of Wayanad,” he said.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) was planning a raid on him following his ‘Chakravtyuh’ speech in the parliament on July 29.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “Apparently, 2 in 1 didn’t like my Chakravyuh speech. ED ‘insiders’ tell me a raid is being planned. Waiting with open arms, @dir_ed. Chai and biscuits on me.”
This comes after Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking on the Union Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha on July 29. He said farmers, workers, and youngsters of the nation are terrified.
He criticised PM Modi for prominently displaying the lotus symbol and claimed that a new ‘Chakravyuh’ had been created in the 21st century.
BJP Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statements on Mahabharata and Chakravyuh on Wednesday and said that some people are ‘accidental Hindus’ and their knowledge of Mahabharata is accidental too.
Anurag Thakur attacked Rahul Gandhi’s Chakravyuh statement and said that he did well by raising the topic of Chakravyuh because this country has well seen many “Chakravyuhs of Congress Party.”

ED Raids 19 Locations, Including Himachal MLA and CM’s Close Aide

July 31, 2024, 3:38 pm

On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 19 locations across Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. The targeted premises included those of Himachal Pradesh Congress MLA RS Bali and an individual closely linked to the state’s Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. These raids are part of an investigation into the alleged creation of fake Ayushman Bharat ID cards and violations related to the scheme involving various hospitals.

The ED’s operation spanned five districts in Himachal Pradesh: Kangra, Una, Shimla, Mandi, and Kullu. Among those raided were RS Bali, a Congress MLA representing Nagrota, who also serves as the Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) and the Vice Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board. Additionally, Rajesh Sharma of Shree Balaji Hospital in Kangra, known to be a close associate of the current Chief Minister, was targeted. Both individuals were implicated in the alleged fraud.

The raids are linked to a case involving the generation of fake Ayushman Bharat AB-PMJAY cards. The investigation has revealed that several hospitals, including some prominent ones, have reportedly violated the scheme by generating medical bills on these fraudulent cards, resulting in significant financial losses for both the government and the public.

ED Recovers Huge Cash From Household Helper’s Home of PS To Minister Alamgir In Ranchi

May 6, 2024, 10:20 am

The Jharkhand district of Ranchi is currently the scene of raids by the Enforcement Directorate. Early on Monday morning, the organisation was able to retrieve a sizable sum of money from Sanjiv Lal, who helps out around the house and is the personal secretary of Jharkhand Rural Development Minister and Senior Congressman Alamgir Alam.

The current inquiry into the case of Jharkhand Rural Development Department chief engineer Virendra K. Ram is connected to this seizure. A sizable sum of money was found in 2019 from one of his subordinates. The case was then turned over to the Enforcement Directorate in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Virendra K. Ram was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2023 in connection with a money laundering case associated with alleged irregularities in the implementation of certain schemes. His apprehension followed multiple searches conducted by the ED on February 21, 2023, in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and several other locations across Jharkhand, Bihar, and Delhi.

‘Entire episode was orchestrated to target Delhi CM’ Atishi on ED raids

February 7, 2024, 12:59 pm

One day after the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) conducted raids on members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Delhi minister Atishi asserted on Wednesday that the officials failed to disclose details of the case that led to the crackdown. Atishi alleged that the entire episode was orchestrated to target Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

During a press briefing, Atishi disclosed that ED officials, in the 16-hour raids at the residence of Delhi Chief Minister’s personal assistant Bibhav Kumar on Tuesday, did not specify the case under which the searches were conducted. She underscored, “This would probably be the first time in the history of ED that a raid was conducted and it lasted for 16 hours, but it was not mentioned anywhere in writing under which case these searches were conducted.”

Presenting a document, she pointed out that, unlike previous raids, ED did not provide details of the case during the recent operation. Atishi added, “The raid went on for 16 hours in the house of Kumar. During that time, ED officers were sitting in Bibhav Ji’s drawing room. Headlines were made across that raids were going on, but neither any search or seizure was made nor any grilling was done.”

The ED conducted searches at around 10 locations, including premises associated with AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP ND Gupta. Atishi argued that these actions demonstrated the true intentions of the ED, asserting, “This proved that the raids that are taking place, and the summonses that are being issued, are being done only for the purpose of attacking Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal.”

She accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of employing ED to target leaders close to Kejriwal. Atishi suggested, “The Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi know that there is only one leader who can challenge them, that is Kejriwal. So now ED has been openly tasked with putting all the leaders close to Kejriwal in jail.”

The raids were reportedly part of a money laundering probe by the agency. Simultaneously, the agency moved against AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in court for the fifth time for skipping summons related to the Excise policy case. Earlier in the month, the Delhi crime branch issued a notice to Kejriwal to join a probe into allegations that the BJP attempted to “poach” MLAs to topple his government.

ED Raids Premises of Haryana Congress MLA, Ex-INLD Legislator

January 4, 2024, 11:12 am

The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at multiple locations associated with certain political figures in Haryana on August 11, 2022.

Premises linked to Surinder Panwar, a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Indian National Congress in Haryana, and Dilbag Singh, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Indian National Lok Dal, were part of the search operation.

Twenty locations across six districts in Haryana and one in Chandigarh were covered in the searches. The districts searched included Yamuna Nagar, Sonipat, Mohali, Faridabad, Chandigarh and Karnal.

According to sources, the searches were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged illegal mining activities. Further details regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s operation are awaited.

ED raids multiple locations in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Details inside

August 23, 2023, 2:29 pm

According to persons acquainted with the situation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided over a dozen locations in the opposition-ruled states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on Wednesday as part of its money laundering investigation into the liquor scandal.

Officials reported that among those being searched is Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s political advisor Vinod Verma. At least 34 locations in Jharkhand were raided, including the residence of Rohit Oroan, son of Jharkhand Finance Minister Rameshwar Oroan.

As per earlier reports, ED will expand its Chhattisgarh liquor scam investigation to Jharkhand since the individuals suspected of involvement (in Chhattisgarh) had decided to replicate the same corruption model in Ranchi as well, but it was immediately halted once the agency initiated an investigation.

The ED also searched the homes of two of Baghel’s OSDs (officers on special duty), Manish Banchhor and Ashish Verma. Baghel’s aide, Vijay Bhatia, is also under investigation by the ED, and his home was raided.

ED raids BYJU’s CEO Raveendran Byju, skipped several FEMA summons

April 29, 2023, 5:39 pm

In connection with an investigation into possible foreign currency violations, the Enforcement Directorate announced on Saturday that it had raided the Bengaluru-based office and residence of Edtech firm BYJU and its CEO and co-founder, Raveendran Byju, as well as confiscated “incriminating” documents and digital material.

Under the terms of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), three locations—two commercial and one residential—including that of the registered company, Think & Learn Pvt. Ltd.—were searched. According to a statement from the federal financial investigative agency, different “incriminating documents and digital data” have been taken.

A spokesperson for BJYU’s legal team said the ED action was a “routine inquiry” and the company has been “completely transparent with the authorities and has provided them with all the information they have requested.” The ED alleged the company (Think & Learn Pvt. Ltd.) has not prepared its financial statements since the 2020–21 fiscal year and has not had its accounts audited, which is mandatory. Hence, the genuineness of the figures provided by the company is being cross-examined by the banks, it said.

According to the document, Raveendran Byju was issued “several” summonses but allegedly acted “evasively and never appeared” before the ED. It said the action was launched in response to “various complaints” made by private individuals. According to the searches, the company received 28,000 crores of rupees in foreign direct investment (FDI) between 2011 and 2023.

Money laundering case: ED conducts searches against Franklin Templeton

March 16, 2023, 5:28 pm

According to officials, the Enforcement Directorate is conducting searches at some locations associated with asset Franklin Templeton and its former and current executives as part of a money laundering investigation.

As part of its investigation into the company and its promoters under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the federal agency is seeking additional evidence.

They further revealed that they are searching the residential and office premises of Franklin. Meanwhile, the company said they were cooperating with the investigations. In a statement, the brand stated that “We continue to cooperate with all regulatory and statutory authorities and provide all data and information required by them.

“Franklin Templeton places great emphasis on compliance with regulations, and we have appropriate policies in place, consistent with Indian regulations and global best practices.”

Following its April 2020 decision to wind up six debt schemes with Rs 25,000 crore in assets under management (AUM) from 3 lakh investors, capital markets regulator Sebi issued a show-cause notice to the company in November 2020, citing liquidity challenges caused by the pandemic.

Jharkhand: ED seizes Rs 3 crore cash after raids related to IAS officer Pooja Singhal

March 4, 2023, 12:52 pm

ED on Friday seized Rs 3 crore cash linked to a suspended IAS officer, Pooja Singhal during a raid at the Hazaribag residence, ED sources informed. In a statement, ED sources revealed that “The raid was conducted to investigate anomalies in the captive coal consumption case. In this regard, raids were also carried out against former coal and sand in-charge of the Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation (JSMDC) Ashok Kumar Singh.”

The State government brought a policy in 2007 to provide coal to small and medium enterprise at cheap rates through coal mines of the companies of the central government undertakings. The JSMDC became the nodal agency for the supply of coal to such small and medium enterprises.

Coal Ivy ‘scam’: ED raids multiple places of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh

February 20, 2023, 3:21 pm

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a fresh search at nearly a dozen locations in Chhattishgarh in mining and alleged coal levy scam. The places that are being searched include residential and office premises of various Congress leaders including Ram Gopal Agarwal, Girish Devangan, RP Singh, Vinod Tiwari ad Sunny Agrawal, sources reveals.

In January, the ED had also raided multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including that of an IAS officer’s place, and other locations in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe into the alleged coal levy scam in the state. The federal investigation agency launched a probe in this case in October 2022, after it raided another IAS officer of the state, Sameer Vishnoi, and some businessmen.

The agency alleged that Sameer Vishnoi, an IAS Officer of 2009 Batch, and his wife were found to be in possession of Rs 47 Lacs of unaccounted cash and Gold jewellery of 4 kg.
The investigation relates to “a massive scam in which illegal levy of Rs 25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen”, the agency has alleged.

Meanwhile, the deputy secretary of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s, Saumya Chaurasia and coal trader, Vishnoi, alleged “main kingpin of the scam” Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal have been arrested in this case till now.

The ED had earlier claimed in a statement that Chaurasia, Vishnoi and some coal traders allegedly linked to them “used” their relatives to create “benami” assets after it attached their properties worth more than Rs 150 crore in December, 2022.