ED raids audit firm employee amid charges of Bitcoin use in Maharashtra polls

MUMBAI, Nov 20: The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at the Chhattisgarh premises of an auditing company employee, allegedly linked to a political Bitcoin transactions case in Maharashtra, as part of a money laundering probe, official sources said.
The house of Gaurav Mehta in Chhattisgarh’s capital city Raipur is being covered under the provisions of the PMLA, they said.
The agency questioned him and recorded his statement during the searches. It also seized some computers and digital devices.
Mehta has also been summoned by the CBI as part of its probe into an alleged cryptocurrency case.The ED action came on a day the polling for the elections was held. The role of Mehta surfaced on Tuesday when the BJP in poll-bound Maharashtra played purported voice notes of NCP (SP) leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, alleging attempts were being made to encash Bitcoins to influence the elections.
ED sources said the agency has widened its ongoing money laundering probe into a crypto (Bitcoin) assets ponzi scam and is investigating the “links” of Mehta and some others with politicians, bureaucrats and politically exposed persons. oices and chats purportedly of Sule and Patole allegedly indicate that Bitcoins were used for funding the poll campaign oices and chats purportedly of Sule and Patole allegedly indicate that Bitcoins were used for funding the poll campaign. Sule has denied the charges (PTI)