K’taka Govt e-Procurement website hacking: Key accused arrested from Punjab

Karnataka CID police, who are investigating the Bitcoin scam, have apprehended a key accused in the theft of funds after hacking the e-Procurement portal (Karnataka public procurement portal) of the state government.

The accused, identified as Arvinder Singh (32) from Punjab, was arrested by the CID Special Investigation Team. A case had been registered at the CID Cyber Crime Station in connection.

Singh, an associate of international hacker and kingpin of Bitcoin scam Srikrishna alias Sriki, was reportedly involved in hacking the state government’s e-procurement website. He followed Sriki’s instructions to deposit the defrauded money into his account.

Arvinder Singh had strong ties with businessmen and traders in Punjab and neighboring states. Subsequently, Singh laundered the money gotten from Sriki by transferring it to his trader friends via Hawala, before returning it to Sriki. It is gathered that Singh charged a hefty commission for this.

The e-Procurement website, designed for the collection and management of government business funds, was hacked by Sriki about four and a half years ago. Crores of rupees from tenders were transferred to Arvinder Singh’s accounts, police sources said. Sriki later retrieved this money and used it to fund a luxurious lifestyle abroad with his girlfriend and friends.

Sources said that Singh was arrested based on information provided by Sriki during his interrogation. The accused was apprehended in Punjab after being on the run.