The Economic Offences Wing, Unit I, of the Navi Mumbai police, will apply for a warrant of transfer for Amit Bharadwaj, the alleged mastermind of the ₹2,000-crore bitcoin scam busted in Pune, after a new case was registered in Vashi.
“This is the first case in the GainBitcoin scam in Navi Mumbai, and as of now only one complainant has come forward. But we suspect more from Navi Mumbai would have fallen prey to the scam,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Tushar Doshi said.
The accused had conducted a seminar at Realtech Park in Vashi. Nerul resident Gyaneshwar Kaul, who had invested ₹4.16 lakh in the cryptocurrency scheme, has filed a case. The Vashi police have booked six people, including Mr. Bharadwaj, his brother Ajay Bharadwaj, and associates Jeevan Jadhav (25), Hemant Bhope (32), Vikram Patil (40) and D.K. Chena (45).
Mr. Bharadwaj is currently in judicial custody after being arrested by the Pune Police in April. Two cases were registered against him in Nigdi and one in Dattawadi in Pune.
Mr. Doshi said, “We would seek a transfer of warrant from the court and arrest Mr. Bharadwaj. The accused used to lure people to invest in bitcoin. The victims were fraudulently offered other cheap currency named MCAP.”
