NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been conducting extensive raids at over 60 locations linked to key accused individuals, their associates and entities suspected of laundering the proceeds of crime across the country as part of its investigation into the GainBitcoin crypto currency scam case, officials said on Tuesday.
The coordinated raids are being carried out in major cities, including Delhi-NCR, Pune, Chandigarh, Nanded, Kolhapur, Bengaluru and other places, targeting the premises linked to key accused.
Given the vast scale and complexity of the scam, the FIRs were registered in various states, including Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra and were subsequently transferred to the CBI by the SC, the officials said.
A senior CBI official said, “The agency took over the cases and has been conducting an omnibus and comprehensive investigation to uncover the full extent of the fraud, identify all accused parties, and trace the misappropriated funds, including international transactions.”
“Incriminating digital evidence and digital devices have been seized. The evidence present in emails/clouds have also been seized. The CBI remains committed to ensuring a thorough and impartial investigation and bringing the perpetrators of this massive crypto currency fraud to justice,” the official said.
A CBI official said that GainBitcoin was an alleged Ponzi scheme launched in 2015 by Amit Bhardwaj (deceased), with Ajay Bhardwaj and their network of agents.
The scheme operated through multiple websites under the facade of a company named Variabletech Pte. Ltd. The scheme lured investors by promising lucrative returns of 10 percent monthly in Bitcoin for 18 months, the officials said.