Indian Authorities Arrest Four Crypto Ponzi Scheme Operators

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of India is featured in the altcoin news for arresting four people accused of operating a crypto-related Ponzi scheme. The Indian authorities arrested Vijay Prajapati, Dhiraj Patel, Kamruddin Syed, and Ashiq Shaikh, all of which are the alleged creators of the KBC Coin cryptocurrency as a report by the Times of India shared on July 4.

The report cites CID which argues that KBC is a Ponzi scheme. Launched 6 months ago, the price of KBC has not moved since. This is why the Indian authorities believe that it was a potential scam.

The KBC coins were reportedly issued at a value of 10 paisas for each piece, with a promise that they would skyrocket in value to 10 rupees in a very short time. As the coming altcoin news then shared, people bought the coins and expected them to rise 100-fold.

According to one CID member, an individual named Baljeetsingh Lashkariya first promoted KBC via a pyramid scheme. The Indian authorities are investigating this case. Meanwhile, the promotional materials show that the “first investor in the chain would get an incentive from the last circle of investors. This offer played a major role in bringing more investors to the company.”

Lashkariya and another promoter named Mohan Patel have reportedly “gone underground” about the case. As reported by many best cryptocurrency news sites before this, Indian authorities and legislators have proposed a bill that would punish crypto enthusiasts in the country with up to 10 years in jail for violating the country and its anti-crypto laws.

Still, no one knows if this bill is going to pass. The enforcement policy that the Indian authorities are carrying out is apparently part of the bill – which is titled “Banning Cryptocurrencies and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill 2019,” according to reports from The Block.

At the end of May this year, SEC sued a California resident on charges of selling unregistered securities and conducting a Ponzi scheme disguised as a cryptocurrency – and taking away $26 million from users. The case in India is very similar to this case, and the Indian authorities should definitely sanction it completely.