ED Conducts Raids In Bengaluru Over Crypto Scam Linked To Congress MLA

The quiet lanes of Bengaluru’s upscale neighborhoods were jolted awake this Monday morning as the Enforcement Directorate launched a high-profile crackdown that feels more like a tech-thriller than a standard financial investigation. In a city where crypto is usually the buzzword for overnight wealth, the federal agency arrived to trace the darker, more tangled roots of digital currency.

The spotlight fell squarely on the household of N.A. Haris, the influential Congress MLA from Shantinagar. For Haris, a veteran politician accustomed to the rough-and-tumble of Karnataka politics, the day brought a different kind of challenge as officials entered the premises of his sons, Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad. The air in Bengaluru’s political circles turned thick with speculation; this wasn't about land deals or local contracts, but a sophisticated web of international hacking and proceeds of crime hidden in the blockchain.

At the heart of this storm is a figure well-known to the city’s cyber-crime units: Srikrishna Ramesh, better known by his moniker Sriki. An alleged master hacker with a reputation for breaching national and international websites, Sriki’s digital footprint has haunted Karnataka’s investigative files since 2017. The ED’s theory is simple yet staggering: they believe the illicit Bitcoins harvested by Sriki did not just vanish into the ether but were funnelled toward influential beneficiaries.

Under the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, about a dozen locations became makeshift command centers for federal agents. As neighbours peered through curtains at the steady stream of officials, the human cost of the Crypto Scam began to resurface. What started years ago as a series of police FIRs has now evolved into a high-stakes hunt for accountability, leaving a prominent political family to defend its name against the ghosts of a digital past.