Enforcement Directorate files chargesheet against Sriki, two others in bitcoin case

Bengaluru: Enforcement Directorate (ED) Monday filed a 3,500-page chargesheet against serial hacker Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki, cryptocurrency trader Robin Khandelwal and businessman Sunish Hegde in an intriguing case that involved money-laundering, darknet operations and hacking secure govt websites.The chargesheet also named a private company and two individuals for their alleged role in the offence.Special public prosecutor Madhu N Rao filed the chargesheet before a special court for cases registered under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act. The network also involved multi-crore cryptocurrency laundering.ED arrested the three key accused in May. The trio has since been remanded in judicial custody and lodged in the Bengaluru central prison.Roles Of The AccusedSrikrishna alias Sriki: Skilled programmer exploited vulnerabilities in cryptocurrency exchanges, gaming platforms and corporate servers. Accused of breaching Karnataka govt’s e-procurement portal to siphon off Rs 11.5 crore. Hacked Unocoin crypto exchange and major poker apps.Sunish Hegde: Politically connected businessman-contractor allegedly funded Sriki’s lavish lifestyle and coerced him into hacking sites.

Orchestrated extortion operations, forcing compromised gaming portals to pay over Rs 2 crore in cash, casino chips and virtual assets.Robin Khandelwal: A cryptocurrency trader and a financial conduit. Used multiple international crypto platforms to dump stolen virtual assets. Systematically transferred laundered cash into accounts controlled by Sriki and his inner circle.