An Indian court has sentenced a former legislative assembly member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to life in prison for his involvement in a high-profile bitcoin extortion plot. 

Nalin Kotadiya and thirteen other individuals were convicted for the 2018 kidnapping of a Surat businessman and extorting 200 bitcoins from him.

Life Sentences in 2018 Extortion Case

A local court in Ahmedabad delivered today’s verdict, concluding the high-profile case that dates back to 2018. 

Fourteen people, including former BJP legislative assembly member Nalin Kotadiya and ex-Indian Police Service officer Jagdish Patel, were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. One individual was acquitted.

This landmark ruling concludes an extensive trial that exposed a corruption trail involving high-profile individuals in Gujarat.

A Crime Unraveled

The case began with the kidnapping of Shailesh Bhatt, a businessman and cryptocurrency trader from Surat.

According to reports, individuals pretending to be from India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lured him to a meeting in Gandhinagar. 

Instead, he was abducted from a gas station. A team of police officers using official government vehicles then took Bhatt to a farmhouse.

The accused seized 200 Bitcoins, valued at approximately ₹12 crore at the time, and demanded a ransom of ₹32 crore. 

The investigation further revealed that Bhatt had previously stolen Bitcoins worth ₹150 crore from another Surat resident named Dhawal Mawani. Upon learning this, the accused—including Nalin Kotadiya—conspired to rob Bhatt.

Unmasking the Conspirators

Bhatt set off the investigation when he submitted a formal complaint to the Indian Criminal Investigation Department (CID). 

As the investigation deepened, the CID arrested ten police officers, including Anant Patel and Surat-based lawyer Ketan Patel.

Their interrogations soon revealed the names of Jagdish Patel and Kotadiya. Kotadiya went into hiding, and a non-bailable warrant was issued before his eventual arrest. 

The scope of the conspiracy widened further with the involvement of a genuine CBI Inspector, Sunil Nair. Nair reportedly demanded a bribe from Bhatt and threatened to initiate an investigation against him.

The court’s decision ultimately marked a major step against corruption and criminal activity involving police officials, politicians, and cryptocurrency.