India's Largest Bitcoin scam. $300 Mn Bitcoin Scam: Chargesheets Filed Against Amit Bhardwaj

Two separate chargesheets have been filed against Amit Bhardwaj, who was arrested in Bangkok on March 31, and eight others in the country’s largest-ever $300 Mn Bitcoin scam. Amit Bhardwaj, an Indian investor and the founder/CEO of GB Miners, is a self-proclaimed “cryptocurrency guru and visionary.”

The Darwin Labs founders have been named in one chargesheet (Dattawadi) only, while the rest seven have been made accused in both the chargesheets.

A senior member of Pune Police, crime branch team who is investigating the matter told Inc42, “Yes, the chargesheets have been filed. While one chargesheet related to the Dattawadi police station was filed on June 11, another ‘4000 page-long’ chargesheet is being filed today against the accused, including Amit Bhardwaj, at Shivaji Nagar District Court, Pune.”

The ‘Dattawadi’ chargesheet has been filed with IPC 406, 420, 34, 409, 120B, 109 and MPID Act 3 and 4, and IT Act, Section 66B.

Apart from Amit Bhardwaj, the eight others against whom the chargesheets have been filed in the bitcoin scam are Hemant Vishwas, Hemant Babasaheb Chavan, Ajay Tanaji Saheb, Pankaj Srinandkishore, Chandrakant Bhope, and Nikunj Jain and Sahil Baghla of Darwin Labs.

The person said, “So far, we have registered the statements of 167 people in this case. Based on these statements, the number of Bitcoins involved in the fraud has gone up to 1,755. However, it’s based on the current statements and complaints, which will only go up further in the future.”

47 people have registered their statements in the Dattawadi case, while the rest 120, in Nigdi case. The police have so far recovered 206 Bitcoins, 79.999 EThereum and $56.3K in cash. The cybercrime branch has also identified a number of companies and properties in Hong Kong, Dubai and other locations. This also includes Amit Bhardwaj’s flat at Burj Khalifa, Dubai, which he reportedly bought in INR 5 Cr.

“Ayush Varshney, another accused, is yet to be arrested and is now the most wanted in this case,” he added.