MLA N A Haris' son gained from Bitcoin scam: SIT charge sheet

p>Bengaluru: The state government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has filed a charge sheet against Mohammed Haris Nalapad in the Bitcoin scam, making Congress MLA N A Haris’ son the first politically connected individual to be named in the high-profile case. According to the charge sheet filed in a Bengaluru court on May 20, the 36-year-old was one of the key beneficiaries of the 60-odd Bitcoins stolen by serial hacker Srikrishna alias Sriki from a Tumakuru-based crypto exchange. Although the Enforcement Directorate has raided Nalapad, this is the first time he has been named in a charge sheet. However, the charge sheet is yet to be allotted a criminal case number, sources said. The ED previously accused Mohammed Nalapad, his brother Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of former Union minister K Rahman Khan, of benefiting from the proceeds in the Bitcoin scam. .ED raids on Karnataka MLA N A Haris' sons puts spotlight back on Bitcoin allegedly stole 60.6 Bitcoins from Tumakuru’s Unocoin crypto exchange in 2017. At the time, the stolen cryptocurrency was valued at Rs 1.14 crore. Its value, as of Tuesday, was over Rs 35 crore. While his exact role remains unclear, Nalapad is accused of facilitating the conversion of cryptocurrency into cash. The money was allegedly routed through hawala channels. .MLA N A Haris' son gained from Bitcoin scam: SIT charge charge sheet names Nalapad, Sriki and the latter’s accountant Robin Khandelwal. Sriki, Khandelwal and another associate Sunish Hegde were last month remanded in judicial custody following their arrest by the ED. The ED also alleged that the Nalapad brothers and other associates were beneficiaries in the 2017 it has reportedly issued another summons to Nalapad, the central agency is yet to issue an official statement on the investigation. The multi-crore scam came to the fore after Sriki’s arrest in November 2020 in a case related to buying hydro ganja on the dark web using Bitcoins. The probe found that Sriki hacked into online poker sites, crypto exchanges and other investigations also revealed his alleged role in the hacking of the Karnataka government’s e-procurement portal and stealing Rs 11.5 crore in funds in 2019. In 2023, the Congress government formed the SIT to investigate the February 2025, the SIT questioned the Nalapad brothers, who were earlier questioned in June 2024 by the SIT. On April 20, the ED raided Sriki, Khan and Nalapad brothers. “Investigations under the PMLA revealed that the Nalapad brothers are close associates of Sriki and main beneficiaries of proceeds of crime,” ED sources had told DH..‘Propaganda to defame my father’When contacted, Mohammed Nalapad told DH, “I have not received a copy [of the charge sheet]. All of this is propaganda. It is being done to tarnish my name and my father’s opportunity to become a minister. I am sure he is going to be a minister.”