[14 People Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Indian Bitcoin Extortion Case, Including 11 Police Officers] BlockBeats News, August 31: According to The Block, in a 2018 kidnapping and extortion case in India, a Surat businessman was abducted and forced to sell Bitcoin as ransom. Ultimately, 14 individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment, including 11 police officers, among whom were the former superintendent of the crime scene and a former member of the Indian Legislative Assembly. A special judge convicted these individuals of kidnapping, extortion, and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code. In the case, the victim, Shailesh Bhatt, was lured to a gas station and then kidnapped, subsequently being forced to pay 34 Bitcoins (approximately $150,000) as ransom. During the trial, a total of 172 witnesses were summoned, but 92 of them changed their testimonies. Notably, the victim Bhatt himself is currently being prosecuted by law enforcement for allegedly kidnapping a BitConnect promoter, and that case is still under trial.