In Indian, another high-ranking police official from the state of Gujurat has been taken into custody in connection with a $1 million bitcoin extortion scheme.
According to report from the Hindustan Times,
Amreli police superintendent Jagdish Patel was arrested on Sunday on suspicion
that he helped a group of police officers detain a local resident after which
he was forced to give up his bitcoin. Police inspector Anant Patel, who is also
based in Amreli, was similarly arrested last week and will be questioned at the
same time as Jagdish Patel.
As previously reported, Anant Patel was one of 10 police
officers accused of kidnapping, attempted extortion and corruption after
businessman Shailash Bhatt, who alleges he was abducted, beaten and forced to
turn over 200 bitcoins - an amount worth roughly $1.7 million at press time
prices.
Two other locals were also allegedly abducted during the scheme,
as alleged by the state's Crime Investigation Department, which launched an
investigation earlier this month following the complaints.
Anant Patel was previously thought to be the highest-ranking
official related to the case, with the nine other suspects serving as
constables.
But while arrests have been made, police director-general Ashish
Bhatia said officials have not yet verified that the 200 bitcoins were ever
transferred from Bhatt to Anant Patel.
The Hindustan Times also reported that Nalin Kotadia, a former
elected official, has also been detained as a potential accomplice of the
alleged scheme. It is unclear what role he may have played in the original
abduction.
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