Share this article

Senior BitConnect Promotor Arrested by Indian Authorities

Former BitConnect India head Divyesh Darji was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday.

Updated Sep 13, 2021, 8:18 a.m. Published Aug 20, 2018, 11:00 p.m.
darji

A promoter of the controversial cryptocurrency platform BitConnect was arrested on August 19, according to a local news outlet in India.

Former BitConnect India head Divyesh Darji was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday, the India Express reported. The Criminal Investigation Department of Gujurat police announced they arrested Darji after receiving an alert from the nation's immigration agency.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

According to P. G. Narwade, an inspector from the police department, Darji was en route from Dubai to the city of Ahmedabad when he was arrested.

He said:

"The accused held seminars, events in India and other countries promising high interest — daily interest rate of 1 percent — on investment in BitConnect coins. The cost of one BitConnect coin on January 16, 2018, when the company shut down, was USD 362."

As CoinDesk reported, BitConnect's lending service was shut down this past January after regulators in Texas and North Carolina said the company was engaging in the sale of unregistered securities tied to a token sale. The shutdown resulted in the startup's BCC token's price crashing, falling from its high of $400 at the beginning of the year to $17.25 on Jan. 17. The token is trading below 70 cents as of press time.

In addition to the unregistered security sale, BitConnect was also infamously accused of conducting a Ponzi scheme, particularly after several prominent figures in the crypto community levied criticisms against it, including the founder of ethereum, Vitalik Buterin.

After the platform's shutdown, former BitConnect investor and promoter Trevon James said the FBI had begun investigating the project, according to a YouTube video he posted in March.

Police car image via Shutterstock

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Bitcoin Holds Near $92K as Selling Cools, but Demand Still Lags

Bitcoin Logo

ETF inflows have finally turned positive, but weak on-chain activity, defensive derivatives positioning, and negative spot CVD show a market stabilizing without the conviction needed for a sustained move higher.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin markets in Asia are stabilizing but remain structurally weak, with short-term holders dominating supply.
  • U.S. ETF flows have shown signs of stabilization, but on-chain activity remains near cycle lows, indicating weak capital inflows.
  • Bitcoin and Ether have seen price recoveries driven by spot demand and improved sentiment, while gold is supported by U.S. labor data and Fed rate cut expectations.