CBI summons audit company employee Gaurav Mehta in Bitcoin ponzi scam case
New Delhi, Nov 20: The CBI on Wednesday summoned Gaurav Mehta, an audit company employee, in connection with the over Rs 6,000-crore Gain Bitcoin ponzi scam case registered by the agency on the directions of the Supreme Court, officials said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has directed Mehta to appear before the investigating officer of the case as soon as possible, they said. The top court handed over the case to the CBI in December last year.
The agency has taken over the investigation into cases related to the Gain Bitcoin Ponzi scheme registered by various state police all over the country.
Maharashtra and Delhi police had registered multiple cases against Variable Tech Pte Ltd, Late Amit Bhardwaj and Ajay Bhardwaj and others for allegedly running multi-level-marketing (MLM) schemes through which they allegedly collected around Rs 6,600 crore in the form of Bitcoins in 2017 from gullible people while offering 10 per cent monthly return in the cryptocurrency.
Bitcoins, a cryptocurrency, are not controlled by any central bank of any country.
The CBI notice to Mehta came close on the heels of searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate at his premises.
The ED said it has widened its probe into the Gain Bitcoin ponzi scam case and was investigating the "links" of Mehta and some others with politicians, bureaucrats and politically exposed people.
Mehta's name was also mentioned by former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil, who was arrested in a 2018 cryptocurrency "fraud" case being probed by the Pune Police.
In his complaint sent to the Election Commission via email, Patil said according to the chats, he claims to possess, it appears that hundreds of Bitcoins worth billions of rupees may have been pumped in the assembly polls and the previous Lok Sabha elections.
It also appears that Mehta currently has misappropriated Bitcoins, amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees, Patil has said in the complaint.
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Mumbai family deaths: Rat poison ingredient zinc phosphide found in viscera, watermelon sample
Mumbai (PTI): Four members of a family in Pydhonie area of south Mumbai died last month due to rat poison, police officials said on Thursday.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report has confirmed the presence of zinc phosphide in viscera (liver, kidney, spleen), stomach contents, bile, and abdominal fat samples of the deceased identified as Abdulla Dokadia (44), his wife Nasrin (35) and their daughters Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13), said Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Mundhe.
"The watermelon sample also tested positive for zinc phosphide, while all other food items were negative. The report will be studied in depth. We will consult forensic doctors. Further probe in the case is underway," the DCP said.
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Zinc phosphide is used primarily as a highly toxic acute rodenticide to control rats and mice.
"The forensic experts who examined the viscera of deceased Abdulla Dokadia, Nasrin (35), Aayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) found traces of zinc phosphide. It is, however, unclear whether the rat poison was consumed accidentally (or on purpose). So far, we have found no strong reason why the whole family would take such an extreme step," another official said.
Further probe is being conducted by the JJ Marg police station, which has recorded statements of kin and neighbours, he added.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia, his wife Nasreen, and daughters Ayesha and Zaineb ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
