Gandhinagar:

Amreli SP Jagdish Patel was today formally arrested in the sensational Bitcoin extortion and loot case after long interrogation at the CID-crime headquarters here DIG CID-crime Dipankar Trivedi said.

He also said that Patel would be produced in a court of law tomorrow for demand of his custody (remand) for further interrogation.

The DIG also said that so far any evidence of involvement of former BJP MLA from Dhari Nalin Kotadiya as alleged by the main complainant Surat based builder Shailesh Bhatt has not been found.

Meanwhile in related developments in the case, LCB PI Anant Patel who was nabbed on April 19 and formally arrested the next day has been suspended from his post by DGP Shivanand Jha.

Two of the earlier arrested accused both police constables of LCB Amreli Babu Der and Vijay were granted bail by a court today while the order on bail plea of another accused and advocate from Surat Ketan Patel has been kept reserved for likely announcement of verdict tomorrow.

Earlier DGP CID-crime Ashish Bhatia had said that the SP was brought for interrogation after the claim of arrested then LCB PI Ananat Patel who so-far was the main accused that he was sent for the crime. He also said that so far the name of former Dhari MLA Nalin Kodtadiya has not come up before the CID-crime team in the matter.

The main accused of the case, Amreli LCB PI Anant Patel was arrested on April 19. Two mobile phones allegedly used for the crime and some other evidences were recovered from his house in Nadiyad during a raid yesterday.

SP Amreli was brought here this morning for interrogation. He was interrogated for hours and was later taken for formal medical check-up in Gandhinagar civil hospital before his formal arrest this evening. He was interrogated in presence of PI Anant Patel and other arrested accused.

Anant Patel was on the run since the filing of the case earlier this month pertaining to the alleged abduction of a Surat based builder from Gandhingar on February 14 and forceful transfer of 200 bitcoins worth Rs 12 crores from his account and also alleged extortion of 32 crores from him, was nabbed from Adalaj area in Gandhinagar on April 19 by crime branch of Ahmedabad police and was handed over to CID-crime.He had shaved off his head to hide his identity.

SP Amreli Jagdish Patel was also reportedly not coming to office since arrest of PI Patel. He was summoned for interrogation two days back and as he did not turn up, the CID-crime team picked him up from his residence in Amreli late last night to bring here.

Earlier on April 8, two police constable of Amreli LCB Babu Der and Vijay and a Surat based Advocate Ketan Patel were arrested in the case and jailed.

CID crime has constituted an SIT in connection with sensational case.

Notably, the case was lodged on the complaint of Surat builder Shailesh Bhatt, who has alleged that he was kidnapped by Patel and several other policemen of Amreli LCB. Bhatt alleged that after his abduction from Gandhinagar, he was kept in a farm house near hare under abduction from where he was forced to reveal the code for transfer of bitcoins. He has also alleged that one of his partner Kirit Paladia was the main conspirator and also former MLA Kotadia was involved in it.

Amid the speculations of some big-fishes being involved in the case, the state government has made it clear that no culprit would be spared. Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja had said that whoever found involved in the case would be dealt strictly.

DeshGujarat