Bitcoin scam: Karnataka High Court denies bail to police officer

The High Court of Karnataka has refused to grant anticipatory bail to Sridhar K. Pujar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (Internal Security), who had allegedly intimidated hacker Shri Krishna alias Shriki, the main accused in the Bitcoin scam, and got the passwords of laptop, Bitcoin valet, etc., when he was investigating officer of the case initially.

Justice MG Uma passed the order while dismissing the petition filed by Mr. Pujar, seeking anticipatory bail as he has now been arraigned as an accused in the case by the investigating team.

The court also noted that the petitioner had been accused of not taking the signature of the mahazar witnesses while seizing the laptops and other gadgets from Shriki during the early stage of the investigation and not following several other procedures to be followed while seizing the gadgets.

Tampered with gadgets

Meanwhile, the court noted that the petitioner-police officer, with another accused police officer, who was head of the Technical Support Center of the Bengaluru city Central Crime Branch, had tampered with the seized gadgets with illegal motives.

“The objection made against the petitioner and the co-accused shocks the conscience of the court as well as the general public, where it is alleged that the petitioner and other police officers, who hold high posts in the criminal justice system, have stooped to the level of tampering with the documents with the help of the accused in the case,” Justice Uma observed while dismissing the petition.