New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday searched the premises of Gaurav Mehta, a witness in the 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case, in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur and scanned documents in connection with a money laundering probe.

Mehta worked for a consultancy firm which was helping Pune Police probe a separate cryptocurrency fraud.

Earlier, Mehta’s name also figured in a complaint filed by former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil in the Rs 5 crore cryptocurrency fraud revolving around politicians.

Patil, who spent 14 months in custody in the case as an accused, had alleged the involvement of Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole in the 2018 cryptocurrency fraud.

The former cop kicked up a political storm by claiming that he had access to voice notes in which Sule could be heard asking Mehta, an alleged witness in the case, to encash bitcoins as funds were needed for Assembly elections, voting for which concluded on Wednesday.

Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and Member of Parliament Dr Sambit Patra addressed a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday and accused Sule and Patole of selling Bitcoin and using the money in the Assembly elections in the state. Both Sule and Patole have denied the charges.

Dr Patra alleged the misappropriation was done on the directions of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.

A complaint against the two Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders was made by the former IPS officer Patil and based on that BJP held a press conference and released audio tapes and WhatsApp messages.

Dr Patra also accused them of using the funds from this scam in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Dr Patra said that Congress and Rahul Gandhi should clarify their positions on this issue.