0.08 bitcoins are safe in our wallet, say Bengaluru police

BENGALURU: Refuting the allegations of Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, the city police commissioner’s office on Thursday said bitcoins seized during probe into the hacking case involving Srikrishna R and others are safe in the police wallet.
On Wednesday, Kharge had said 0.08 bitcoins seized from accused Robin Khandelawala by Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths had vanished from the police wallet where they had been moved.
Kharge had also objected to police taking technical help from Unocoin, a bitcoin exchange company, during the investigation as it had approached cops saying their website had been hacked.
“These are absolutely false claims. We clarify that 0.08 bitcoins along with three cryptocurrencies (worth Rs 2.5 lakh) were seized from the account of Robin Khandelawala and transferred to the police wallet. The same was duly intimated to the court. This fact has been prominently mentioned to the court along with the chargesheet. The currencies are safely placed in the police wallet under the knowledge of the court,” it said. It stated though the Unocoin account was hacked for a small amount, there was nothing adverse against the company making them ineligible to assist in the probe. “The company is a victim in the case, not the accused. So, no conflict of interest,” police added. tnn