Ex-Pune IPS Drops Bitcoin 'Bomb' On Eve Of Maharashtra Polls

Mumbai: Former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil, who made the crypto charge against Sharad Pawar -led NCP leader Supriya Sule and Congress state chief Nana Patole, has alleged that both Sule and Patole used bitcoin cash for funds in elections.

Speaking exclusively to Republic TV's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami , Ravindranath Patil revealed that he is in possession of several voice notes of Supriya Sule in which she was giving instructions to a cyber person and former Pune Commissioner Amitabh Gupta to convert Bitcoin cash into funds.

Ravindranath Patil further said that he has access to the alleged 11-12 voice notes… 3 of them are allegedly of Supriya Sule in which she's clearly giving instructions to convert Bitcoin cash into funds adding elections are approaching, we need money.

Patil has also claimed that he also has voice notes of former Pune Commissioner Amitabh Gupta.

Ex-IPS names former police officials in Bitcoin scam

Ravindranath Patil has named officials including Amitabh Gupta, then Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Bhagyashri Nautake, then Deputy Commissioner of Police handling the Cyber Crime Investigations were involved in the misappropriation of bitcoins.

"My company called me as a cryptocurrency expert to investigate a case in 2018. I was arrested in that case in 2022 under allegations of fraud. I spent 14 months in jail after a trial. During that time, I was wondering what had happened, what the case was and why was I trapped. There were other colleagues also with me. We were working on finding out the truth. A witness against us, Gaurav Mehta, who is an employee of an audit firm named Sarathi Associates. A day before yesterday, he called me multiple times for 4-5 hours, but I did not respond... Finally, when I responded, he told me that in 2018, when Amit Bharadwaj was arrested, he had a cryptocurrency hardware wallet... That wallet was replaced by the then Commissioner Amitabh Gupta and another wallet was kept. We were arrested but the real perpetrators were Amitabh Gupta and his team. He (Gaurav Mehta) took the names of two IPS officers, Amitabh Gupta and Bhagyashri Nautake. He took two people's name one is Supriya Sule and Nana Patole. He then told me that in this assembly elections bitcoins are being used," Patil alleged.

How Ravindranath Patil accessed information on Bitcoin scam?

Ravindranath Patil said that he got this information from the whistle-blower, who was also part of the cyber experts' team that was investigating the 2018 Cryptocurrency Fraud Case.

He said that the Cyber Expert, Gaurav Mehta is currently having the custody of misappropriated bitcoins, amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees.

"He said that they have already sold bitcoins worth Rs 150 crores and they have several 100 crores more... The cash was used in Lok Sabha elections and is not being used in assembly elections also," Patil claimed.

Neither of the named parties have so far reacted to Ravindra Patil's allegations.

Who is ex-IPS Ravindranath Patil? 

Ravindranath Patil is a former IPS officer of 2004 batch and since 2010, he was working as a Cyber Expert in corporate sector. During the investigation of 2018 Bitcoin Fraud Case, he was appointed to conduct a forensic audit.

Four years later, he was named as an accused for the alleged misappropriation of bitcoins amounting to 5 Crores, and he spent nearly 14 months in Yerawada Central Prison as an undertrial. Currently, he is a practicing advocate in the Bombay High Court.

Allegation against Sule, Patole After BJP leader accused of distributing cash on election eve  

The allegations against Nana Patole and Supriya Sule follow an incident of high drams on Tuesday after the workers of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) created a ruckus outside a hotel located at Nalasopara assembly constituency in Palghar district accusing the BJP of “distributing money."

The BVA workers created a ruckus outside the Vivanta Hotel in Virar where BJP leader Vinod Tawde was holding a meeting with the party workers. 
Notably, Vinod Tawde dismissed the charge levelled by BVA that the BJP was "distributing money" ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

"A meeting of MLAs of Nalasopara was underway. I went there to tell them about the Model Code of Conduct for the day of voting, how will voting machines be sealed and how to go about if an objection has to be made. The workers of the party (Bahujan Vikas Aghadi), Appa Thakur and Kshitij thought that we were distributing money. Let the Election Commission and Police inquire, let them get CCTV footage. I have been in the party for 40 years. Appa Thakur and Kshitij know me, and the entire party knows me. Still, I believe that the Election Commission should conduct an impartial investigation," Tawde said.

Republic Media Network, across platforms and mediums of operation, cannot vouch for the authenticity of the alleged audio tapes, screen shots and recordings as released by the BJP and allegations made by Ravindranath Patil