Bitcoin audio row: Ajit says ‘it’s Sule’s voice’; Baramati MP serves criminal defamation notice

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said the audio in the purported voice notes played by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were of Baramati Member of Parliament (MP) Supriya Sule and Congress leader Nana Patole. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief also sought probe into the alleged misappropriated bitcoins related to the 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case.

“I have worked with Patole for many years and can recognise his and Supriya’s voice. The audio in the purported voice notes is of the two. The probe will bring out the truth,” said Ajit, who is contesting the poll against his nephew Yugendra of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), after he cast his vote at Baramati early morning.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, said, “I saw media reports and there is a need for probe since the allegations are serious. It is the right of people to know the truth.”

Ravindranath Patil, a former IPS officer from Pune, made allegations against Sule and Patole, accusing them of misappropriating bitcoins from a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case and using that to fund the Maharashtra assembly polls.

NCP (SP) leader Sule has denied the allegations made by Patil. She has served crimination defamation notice to Patil besides complaining to the Election Commission of India and Maharashtra cyber police against him.

Read more: Bitcoin row: BJP alleges ‘scam’ done on directions of Rahul, Sonia Gandhi

Earlier on Tuesday, Patil alleged that former Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta, and the then deputy commissioner of police at cyber cell Bhagyashri Navtake were involved in misappropriation of bitcoins, which were used by Sule and Patole to fund the state polls.

Patil was arrested in 2022 for allegedly siphoning off large sums of cryptocurrency from the wallets of those charged in two cases of multimillion-dollar Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme in 2018 while assisting officials in their probe. After spending around 14 months in jail, he was released on bail.

Soon after Patil’s allegation, the BJP quickly latched onto to it, releasing purported voice notes, which they claim involve Sule and Patole in a conspiracy to encash bitcoins to influence the electoral process.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that the development has “unmasked” the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and sought replies from the Congress and Sule.

Sharing the audios in which the voices and signal chats purportedly belonging to the two opposition leaders stress the bitcoin transactions for allegedly funding their poll campaign, Trivedi alleged it is clear that the MVA has seen the writing on the wall that it is facing defeat in the polls.

“One leader allegedly tells an operator that they will deal with any inquiry once their government is formed,” Trivedi said.

Sule has termed the allegations “familiar tactics of spreading false information to manipulate the righteous voters” the night before election.

“I came out yesterday with my response and am ready to debate whenever and wherever the BJP wants to debate. Patil has himself been to jail for months. I have already complained about the allegations to EC and cyber cell. I called up Pune CP Amitesh Kumar this morning and sought probe and justice. He has promised me justice,” Sule said on Wednesday while responding to Ajit’s remarks.

Sule said that she has also served criminal defamation notice after talking to her lawyer.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said, “The person who made the allegations was in jail for several months. Taking that person along and making false allegations, only the BJP can do this.”

“The BJP has become a party of lies. On the eve of elections, they are doing all this. My voice is not there in the audio. I am a farmer, I don’t even understand bitcoin. We have given a legal notice and filed an FIR. We will also file a defamation case against them,” Patole said.