Indian court sentences 14 to life in Bitcoin extortion case

A former BJP legislator and 11 police officials have been convicted for the 2018 abduction of a Surat businessman in a plot to seize over 750 Bitcoin.

An Indian anti-corruption court has sentenced 14 individuals, including 11 police officials and a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), to life imprisonment in a case involving the kidnapping and extortion of crypto from a Surat-based businessman in 2018.

The judgment, delivered by Special Judge B.B. Jadav in Ahmedabad on Friday, found the group guilty of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping for ransom, illegal detention, and assault, according to a report by The Times of India.

Among those convicted are former Amreli district superintendent of police Jagdish Patel and ex-MLA Nalin Kotadiya. All 11 police officers, including former IPS officer Patel, were also found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act for misconduct by public servants.

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