Karnataka Bitcoin Scam: Prime accused Sriki has links with Congress leaders, alleges Araga Jnanendra

Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Monday alleged that the prime accused Sriki (Srikrishna Ramesh ) in the bitcoin hacking case has links with Congress leaders.

Speaking at the Member of Legislative Council election campaign meeting at Gandhi Maidan in Karnataka's Sagar town, he said, "Congress leaders were just accusing us of bitcoin without proof."

"The Congress leaders have nothing important to accuse the BJP. Thus, in the case of bitcoin, the party is blaming us, the state Home Minister said.

Further, Jnanendra made it clear that no BJP leader was involved in the case.

"Sriki was seen with the son of a Congress leader in an assault incident on UB City in Bengaluru when the Congress was in power. He was then caught in a drug case with a son of a former Congress MLA in Goa. When he was interrogated by the police, he was found to be involved in drug trafficking," he added.

Home Minister Aargha Jnanendra also alleged that the ruling Congress at that time did not even file a lawsuit against the culprit.

Earlier, the 26-year-old accused in Karnataka's alleged Bitcoin scam Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki in his statement to the police had said he had twice hacked Bitfinex exchange during his stay in the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had accused Congress of playing politics over the alleged Bitcoin scam and once again asked the opposition party to provide documents related to the matter, if any, to the investigating agencies.

State Minister K Sudhakar had also called Congress the "party of corruption" over the alleged bitcoin scam and had said that the state government has ordered an investigation in the matter and the investigating team has shared all information with Interpol, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI.

( With inputs from ANI )