BJP MP Surya heckled by people at campaign in Bengaluru, leaves event midway
Bengaluru: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya was forced to leave an election campaign event at Basavanagudi in the city on Sunday, after investors who lost huge amounts of money due to a multi-crore scam involving the cooperative bank, Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Limited, heckled Surya, demanding answers to their queries in the matter.
The investors who attended the event at Laxmanrao Imandar auditorium of Basavanagudi on Sunday forced Surya and BJP MLA from Basavanagudi LA Ravi Subramanya to clarify why the bank was delaying in compensating them for the losses that the investors had suffered due to the scam. The BJP leaders tried to pacify the bank investors, but the responses to the questions failed to satisfy the investors.
Video clips of the incident have gone viral on social media, and show the security leading the MP out of the hall. The MP, however, is also seen arguing with some of the angry investors while walking away.
The bank management had allegedly misappropriated around Rs 2,500 crore, in the said scam. The matter came to light in 2020, when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed withdrawal restrictions on the cooperative bank. More than 45,000 depositors had invested in the bank, and most of them received the Rs 5 lakh insurance amount from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.
Over 15,000 depositors, whose deposit amounts exceed a total of Rs 6 lakh, have not been fully compensated. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which probed the matter, attached the bank’s properties worth Rs 159 crore. The bank management has been accused of siphoning huge amounts of money, hand-in-glove with other people in the act.
The Karnataka government had also ordered in December 2023 an investigation of the scam by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
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Karnataka High Court denies anticipatory bail to accused police officials in Bitcoin scam case
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to a police inspector and Deputy Superintendent of Police, who are among the accused in the Bitcoin scam case.
The bail petitions of inspector Chandradhara S R and Deputy Superintendent of Police Shridhar K Pujar, who are accused number three and five respectively in the case were earlier rejected by a sessions court.
Justice Rajendra Badamikar, delivering the verdict, highlighted concerns about potential manipulation of records and destruction of evidence, given the positions held by the petitioners. He emphasised that the allegations included attempts to destroy evidence, making their bail petitions devoid of merit. Special Public Prosecutor B N Jagadeesha, representing the Crime Investigation Department, argued that the accused officers were involved in facilitating illegal activities, including the transfer of funds and Bitcoins.
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The CID also contended that the officers colluded with other accused individuals to destroy evidence and evade legal consequences. The court observed that the actions of the petitioners indicated an attempt to tamper with evidence and assist accused individuals for unlawful gain. It noted instances where the officers allegedly provided illegal substances to detainees and facilitated illegal transactions.
In light of the evidence presented, the court rejected the bail petitions, affirming the seriousness of the allegations and the need for further investigation into the Bitcoin scam case. The Bitcoin scam had surfaced during the previous BJP regime in 2021, and the Congress then in the opposition had accused the government of trying to cover up the scandal as it involved big names. The prime suspect, Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki, was accused of hacking the state government's e-procurement site and siphoning off over ₹11.5 crore. There were also charges of cryptocurrency theft, drug peddling and cyber fraud relating to the case.
