Synopsis- In a major crime case, an Indian court sentenced 14 people, including 11 police officers and a former BJP legislator, to life imprisonment. The case involves the 2018 kidnapping and extortion of a businessman from Surat to seize over 750 Bitcoins. Special Judge B.B. Jadav in Ahmedabad gave the verdict, revealing a shocking misuse of power by officials and a politician.
Shailesh Bhatt, the businessman, had recovered a large amount of Bitcoin after the collapse of BitConnect, a $900 million Ponzi scheme. When former BJP MLA Nalin Kotadiya and police officers found this out, they planned to take the cryptocurrency by force. On February 11, 2018, Bhatt was kidnapped near Gandhinagar and held at a farm illegally.
Anant Patel, a local crime branch inspector, led the kidnapping with help from several police officers. They used official cars and pretended to be agents from the Central Bureau of Investigation. Bhatt was beaten and pressured to admit he had 752 Bitcoins, with some held by his business partner Kirit Paladiya. The criminals demanded millions in Bitcoin and cash.
Forcing the Extortion
Bhatt was forced to give some Bitcoin and $3.6 million in cash. But when the cash deal failed, the kidnappers made Bhatt sell 34 Bitcoins from Paladiya’s wallet, making about $150,000. After that, Bhatt was set free, but only after meeting some of their demands.
Bhatt told the Union Home Ministry about the crime, which started an investigation. Police arrested 15 people, including former Amreli Superintendent Jagdish Patel, who was also found guilty. All the police officers were charged with corruption for abusing their official positions.
The Long Trial
The trial in Ahmedabad lasted years and was complicated by many witnesses turning against the case. The prosecution showed proof from 173 witnesses and collected CCTV and financial documents. Despite these challenges, the court convicted the accused of kidnapping, conspiracy, illegal detention, assault, and corruption.
Amit Patel, the special public prosecutor, led the case with help from digital experts who followed the cryptocurrency transactions. The court ordered the seizure of gold jewellery worth about ₹2.4 crore from one of the officers. One accused was cleared due to lack of evidence, but most received life sentences.
What This Means
This case shows how dangerous corruption linked to cryptocurrency can be. It sends a strong signal that police officers and politicians won’t escape punishment for crime. It also highlights the risks for people holding cryptocurrencies, who can be targets for crime and violence. The court’s decision proves it can handle complex financial crimes, even involving powerful people. It also pushes for stricter accountability among public officials. This sends hope for better protection of people and digital assets in India’s changing financial world. The case has caught public and media attention, raising concerns about cryptocurrency safety. The strong ruling should help stop similar crimes by officials and politicians. This is an important step to keep people and their digital wealth safe in today’s fast-growing crypto market.
Written By Fazal Ul Vahab C H
