HC orders Bitcoin scam accused Shridhar Pujar to appear before SIT on May 8

High Court of Karnataka directs accused DySP in Bitcoin scam to appear for investigation

The High Court of Karnataka, after hearing three petitions seeking the quashing of two FIRs and a proclamation order, has directed Shridhar K. Pujar (47), a DySP rank police officer accused in the Bitcoin scam, to appear before the investigating officer on May 8 at 9 a.m.

The order, passed on May 2, also said, “In view of the fact that the petitioner has agreed to join the investigation, bail application, if any, to be filed by the petitioner shall not be opposed by the prosecution.”

The order said the “investigation officer is at liberty to take the petitioner to judicial custody and conclude the custodial investigation on the very same day before 6 p.m.” 

The order also said, “On conclusion of the custodial investigation, the petitioner should be let free by taking a bond in the sum of ₹ 2 lakh with two sureties to the satisfaction of the investigation officer. Further, the petitioner is directed to appear before the investigation officer as and when he was called and should not in any way tamper the prosecution evidence.”

The high court, while refusing to quash the two FIRs — one at Vidhana Soudha police station and another in the cybercrime police station of the Criminal Investigation Department — quashed the order of proclamation passed by the I Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court. The State government had formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the Bitcoin scam in July.

In the FIR registered in the cybercrime police station, Pujar was accused of keeping the hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, a.k.a. Sriki and Robin Khandelwala, in illegal custody. 

The FIR said the then CCB inspector (narcotics) Shridhar Pujar, who was probing the drug case, kept Sriki (accused number 10 in the case) in illegal custody for three days between November 14, 2020, and November 17, 2020, at a guest house in Central Armed Reserve (CAR) headquarters in Mysuru Road. The FIR also alleged that Pujar kept Sriki’s associate Robin Khandelwal (accused number 12 in the case) in illegal custody for four days in the same place between November 14, 2020, and November 18, 2020.