NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule responded on Wednesday, stating that she is ready to address the five questions raised by BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi regarding her alleged involvement in a 2018 cryptocurrency fraud case. Sule told, “I am prepared to answer his five questions at a time, place, and platform of his choice. All the allegations are completely false, and I am ready to clarify them.”
On Tuesday, Trivedi raised several questions about Sule’s purported role in the cryptocurrency fraud, which former IPS officer Ravindranath Patil claims also involved Sule and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole. In a press conference, Trivedi asked, “First, were you involved in bitcoin transactions? Second, are you in contact with individuals named Gaurav Gupta or Mehta? Third, are those chats attributed to your leaders? Fourth, is the voice in the audio clips yours? Fifth, who are the ‘big people’ mentioned?”
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Sule’s brother, said he recognized his sister’s voice in the audio clips allegedly tied to the fraud case and promised an investigation. Pawar stated, “The voices in the audio clips belong to my sister and another person I have worked closely with. I can identify their tones. An inquiry will be conducted, and everything will be clarified.”
The allegations were brought forward by Ravindranath Patil, a former IPS officer from Pune, who claims Sule and Patole misappropriated bitcoins from the 2018 cryptocurrency fraud and used the funds to finance the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections. Patil has expressed his willingness to cooperate with any investigation. He also accused Amitabh Gupta, the former Commissioner of Police in Pune, and Bhagyashri Nautake, the former Deputy Commissioner of Police handling cybercrime cases, of being involved in the misappropriation of the bitcoins.
These allegations come amid the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections, which are being held today, November 20.
