A day after former IPS officer from Pune Ravindranath Patil made a major allegation against NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole over their alleged role in misappropriately using bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case to fund the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly Elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at Sarathi Associates firm employee Gaurav Mehta’s (who was also named by Patil as key witness in the case) residence in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur.
According to the information released, the searches being conducted at Mehta’s residence were part of an ongoing money laundering probe.
About the allegations on Supriya Sule and Nana Patole
It is pertinent to note that the ED’s move to raid Mehta’s residence in Chhattisgarh comes amid Ravindranath Patil, a former IPS officer from Pune, speaking to the media, elaborated on Supriya Sule and Nana Patole’s alleged role in misappropriated use of bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case to fund the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly Elections, based on the voice notes provided by Gaurav Mehta to him.
Speaking to ANI yesterday, Patil named Amitabh Gupta, then Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Bhagyashri Nautake, then Deputy Commissioner of Police, as key perpetrators behind the misappropriation of bitcoins, which are eventually being used by the two political leaders.
“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 I was 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, 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 (the key accused) 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 also took two people’s names: Supriya Sule and Nana Patole. He then told me that in these assembly elections, bitcoins are being used,” Patil alleged.
Further, the former IPS officer also mentioned that the same Bitcoin money was also used for funding in Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha elections. Patil also claimed that the allegations he had leveled against the senior MVA leader were based on voice notes that he had allegedly received from witness Gaurav Mehta. “Supriya Sule has sent three voicemail messages in which she is heard asking Gaurav to encash bitcoins as the funds are needed for the elections. She is also heard assuring him not to worry about the inquiries, and once they come to power, they will handle them,” Patil alleged.
“He (Gaurav Mehta) further said that in the Maharashtra Assembly elections too, the same bitcoin money is being used. On the direction of Amitabh Gupta, he (Gaurav Mehta) went to Dubai multiple times and converted the bitcoin into cash. And that cash is being used in Maharashtra elections… He (Gaurav Mehta) sent me some voice notes he had received on WhatsApp,” he remarked.
‘I am ready to support investigation’
Moreover, former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil also detailed voice notes held between Gaurav Mehta, Amitabh Gupta, and Nana Patole. He mentioned in one of the voice notes between Amitabh Gupta and Nana Patole that the latter could be heard saying why there was a delay in cash. Further, citing the voice notes sent by Gaurav Mehta, Patil elaborated on how he had been trapped in the case. “He sent me a voice note he sent to Amitabh Gupta, saying that they had made 4 crypto wallets under the names of Patil and Ghode (my colleague), and the transactions were done from these wallets. If there is an investigation, Patil and Ghode would be caught… During the chat with me, he (Gaurav Mehta) alleged that he wanted to come out of this but his life would be in danger… I have all the screenshots and the audio, and I am ready to provide them to the investigation agencies. I am ready to support the investigation,” Patil said.
