Indian police officers to get trained on cryptocurrencies

A new initiative has been launched in India to educate high-ranking police officers on cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.com reported.

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVP NPA), the country’s police training academy, has launched a cryptocurrency course intended to train officers of the Indian Police Service (IPS).

According to the notification posted on the website, the two-day course on ‘Investigation of cases involving crypto currencies’ will offer

• “Introduction to functioning of crypto currencies and blockchain technology.
• Legal aspects of cryptocurrencies.
• Crimes committed using crypto currencies.
• Investigation of cases involving crypto currencies.”

The course is slated to be held on September 05 and 06 at the Hyderabad-based institute. Course enrollees will be nominated IPS officers holding the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police to Inspector General of Police.

According to the official website:

“The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), trains officers of the Indian Police Service, who have been selected through an All India based Civil Services Examination. The trained officers will be posted as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in their respective states under whom the other sub-ranks of police force will be working.”

The academy has started accepting nominations for the course. The last date to send the nominations is August 02.

The initiative comes amid recent reports of Indian police busting a number of scams involving cryptocurrencies.

Meanwhile, the government seems to be getting closer to introducing cryptocurrency regulation. The inter-ministerial committee led by the Indian Department of Economic Affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg has reportedly proposed a draft bill that seeks to make it illegal to hold, sell or deal in cryptocurrencies in the country.

The Supreme Court of India, the country’s apex court, is scheduled to hear the ongoing crypto case on July 23. The case was filed after the Reserve Bank of India imposed a banking ban to curb cryptocurrency related activities in the country.