Bitcoin Heist Verdict: Ex-BJP MLA and Ex-Police Superintendent Jailed for Life
A sessions court in Ahmedabad sentenced former Gujarat BJP MLA Nalin Kotadiya, ex-Superintendent of Police Jagdish Patel, and others to life imprisonment for involvement in a bitcoin extortion case. The court found them guilty of kidnapping and extorting 200 bitcoins from builder Shailesh Bhatt.
- Country:
- India
In a landmark ruling, the Ahmedabad sessions court handed life imprisonment to former Gujarat BJP MLA Nalin Kotadiya, ex-Amreli Superintendent of Police Jagdish Patel, and 12 others. They were convicted for their participation in a high-profile bitcoin extortion scheme, involving the kidnapping of Surat-based builder Shailesh Bhatt.
The court found the accused guilty of abducting Bhatt and his partner from Gandhinagar in 2018, extorting 200 bitcoins valued at Rs 32 crore. Representing the Dhari seat of Amreli between 2012 and 2017, Kotadiya was among those charged, alongside nine Amreli police constables.
The convicted policemen plan to appeal the sentence in the high court. The state CID-Crime had filed charges against Kotadiya and others under the IPC. After months of evasion, Kotadiya was arrested in September 2018, and later granted bail, as were his accomplices.
(With inputs from agencies.)
Google News