Warrant issued against Nalin Kotadiya

AHMEDABAD: A local court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant against, Nalin Kotadiya, the former BJP MLA from Dhari in Amreli, in connection with the Bitcoin kidnapping and extortion case, after the investigating agency, CID (crime), moved a plea in this regard.
Additional sessions judge Pratik Tamakuwala, while allowing the prosecution plea issued the warrant under section 70 of Criminal procedure code against Kotadiya and considered the CID’s argument that the accused BJP leader has not been cooperating with the probe.
“There is material evidence substantiating the allegation of CID (crime) against Kotadiya. It has also emerged from the record that though summonses were issued twice, Kotadia, despite promising cooperation, did not present himself before the investigating agency. The warrant is thus required to be issued as prayed by the investigating officer,” said the court order. The court observed that the papers on record substantiated Kotadiya’s involvement in the offence.
Kotadiya, the former MLA from Dhari in Amreli district, is accused in the Bitcoin (cryptocurrency) extortion case in which several police officials, including a superintendent of police and an inspector of the local crime branch, have been arrested.
Advocate Sudhir Brahmbhatt, on behalf of CID, submitted that it had issued summonses to Kotadiya under section 160 of CrPC, asking him to appear before it on two occasions, but he had failed to do so.
“Police teams have been unable to find Kotadiya. On May 7, Kotadiya sent the agency a fax saying he would appear before them on May 12, but did not do so,” the application moved by CID said.
“We have concrete evidence against Kotadiya. He is a politically influential person. His evading arrest could be an attempt to delay the investigation and create hindrances to it,” the plea said.