ED Raids Audit Firm Employee Gaurav Mehta as Bitcoin Scam Row Spirals

Mumbai: Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (November 20) is conducting raids at premises of audit firm employee Gaurav Mehta in connection with alleged Bitcoin Scam involving NCP-SP Supriya Sule and state Congress chief Nana Patole. This comes on same day as polling is underway across Maharashtra for 288 Assembly seats.

Gaurav Mehta, name came under spotlight after former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil named him as a key witness in 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case.

former senior official alleged that Sule and Patole allegedly misappropriated bitcoins from 2018 case and used same fund to influence outcome of Maharashtra Assembly elections.

On eve of Maharashtra polls, in a late evening press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed to expose Maha Vikas Aghi ‘bit by bit’. saffron party presented an alleged ‘video and audio’ in which a female voice, allegedly of Sule, where she can be heard saying, "Need cash in exchange for bitcoins. You need not worry about any inquiry; we will handle it once we come to power."

In alleged video shared with media by BJP, Sule is allegedly speaking to Mehta, an employee of Sarathi Association.  

Note: Republic Media Network, across platforms and mediums of operation, cannot vouch for aunticity of alleged audio tapes, screenshots and recordings as released by BJP.

Bharatiya Janata Party also shared alleged screenshots of Signal chats between Gaurav Mehta, an employee of audit firm Sarathi Associates and ex-IPS Ravindranath Patil.

Sule Denies Allegations

Amid alleged "Bitcoin scam" Sule on Wednesday dismissed allegations, saying that voice in audio clip played by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar does not belong to her.

Meanwhile, denying all charges, Supriya Sule in a post on X said, "I deny all allegations levelled against me by Sudhanshu Trivedi. All this is conjecture and innuendo, and I am rey for a debate with any representative of BJP at a time and date of ir choice, in a public forum. It’s appalling that such baseless allegations are me by Mr Sudhanshu Trivedi, yet not surprising as it’s a clear case of spreing false information, night before elections. My lawyer will be issuing a criminal & civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making outrightly false allegations with an intent to deceive public at large."  

She also stated that y have filed a criminal complaint to ECI & Cybercrime department against allegations.  

"Familiar tactics of spreing false information to manipulate righteous voters are being resorted to, a night before polling day. We have filed a criminal complaint to Hon’ble ECI & Cyber crime department against fake allegations me of bitcoin misappropriation. intent and mala fide actors behind it are amply evident, condemn worthy that such practices are taking place in a healthy democracy guided by Constitution of India", Sule said in a tweet on X.