The Gujarat CID on Monday detained Amreli Superintendent of Police (SP) Jagdish Patel to question him regarding his role in the alleged extortion of 200 bitcoins worth ₹12 crore from a Surat-based builder.
Jagdish Patel was taken into custody from his residence in Amreli district last night and brought to Gandhinagar by CID-Crime, which is probing the case.
“Amreli SP Jagdish Patel has been detained by us for questioning. He has not been arrested yet,” Gujarat CID-Crime DGP Ashish Bhatia said.
However, sources in the agency added that Mr. Patel’s arrest was just a matter of time. Though his name does not figure in the FIR lodged by the agency, sources stressed that his name is likely to be added at the time of arrest.
His detention came after arrest of police inspector Anant Patel, who was the key accused in the case. Anant Patel was Police Inspector in the Local Crime Branch (LCB) in Amreli under Jagdish Patel.
Besides Anant Patel, nine other policemen and a middleman from Amreli had been made accused in the case. Before Anant Patel, two constables and the middleman were also arrested by the probe agency.
Notably, Jagdish Patel’s name does not figure in the FIR.
On April 8, the CID-Crime registered a case against Anant Patel and others for allegedly kidnapping Bhatt and extorting bitcoins, a popular crypto-currency, and some cash from him.
They were booked under IPC sections related to kidnapping, extortion, illegal detention as well as under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Bhatt, in his compliant, had alleged he was kidnapped from near a hotel in Gandhinagar by the accused policemen on February 9.
The realtor had claimed he was taken to a farmhouse near the state capital where Anant Patel beat him and forced him to digitally transfer 200 bitcoins worth crores of rupees.
Police had earlier said they were verifying Bhatt’s claim of digitally transferring 200 bitcoins to Anant Patel.
The exchange rate of one bitcoin is over Rs 5 lakh at present, as per the websites which track the prices of crypto- currencies.
Bitcoin is a type of digital money that is issued and normally controlled by its developers and used and accepted among the members of the virtual community.
The Centre has said it does not recognise bitcoin or any other crypto-currency as legal tender in India. PTI PJT PD RSY DV DV 04231137
