Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy alleged that the accused in the bitcoin scam hacked into Jan Dhan accounts and transferred Rs 2 from each account, amounting to about Rs 6,000 crore.
“I have been told that hacking of Jan Dhan accounts happened. Rs 2 per Jan Dhan account was hacked and transferred. I don’t know how true it is. It is worth Rs 6,000 crore. This is Jan Dhan alone,” Kumaraswamy said.
Kumaraswamy said he suspected the BJP government was making attempts of a cover up of the hacking by the accused.
Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, is not recognised as legal tender in many countries, including India. The bitcoin scam has jostled the Karnataka government.
Opposition Indian National Congress (INC) leaders have alleged that “influential politicians” were involved in the scam after officials seized Bitcoins worth Rs 9 crore from a city-based hacker, Srikrishna alias Sriki.
Srikrishna has been accused of hacking into government portals, sourcing drugs through the dark net, and paying for it through cryptocurrency.
INC leader Priyank Kharge has claimed that the Bitcoin scam would cost Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai his job and the BJP government would see a third chief minister this time too, as was witnessed in 2008-13.
With both the BJP and INC involved in the scam blame game, people are in a state of confusion as to whom they can believe, Kumaraswamy said. “The Congress is in a glasshouse and is pelting stones at others. Eventually, their leaders’ names have also been surfaced,” Kumaraswamy said. He pointed out that Police Commissioner Kamal Pant had written to investigative agencies as early as March-April 2021 for a probe.
Modi, who got to know about the bitcoin scam during his visit to the US, is facing embarrassment. In the interest of safeguarding the country’s image, the names of certain leaders were not revealed by agencies, he remarked.
On 11 Noveember, Chief Minister Bommai met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. After the meeting, Bommai said he was asked to work with loyalty and boldness in the interest of the people of the state and “not to worry”.
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