PRAMESH S JAIN
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged IMA Jewels Ponzi scheme Multi-Crore fraud case it has asked CBI to seek Interpol’s help to trace the owner Mohammed Mansoor Khan, who has reportedly fled to Dubai,leaving thousands of investors in the lurch.
Yes,we have asked for a red corner notice against Mansoor Khan,”SIT chief and DIG,CCB,Ravikanthe Gowda told reporters.
The SIT Sleuths headed by BR Ravikanthe Gowda under the leadership and supervision of DCP,Crime,Girish.S,with ACPs,Balaraj,Ravishankar.K,BS Abdul Khader,with PIs,as,Anjan Kumar,BK Shekar,Smt.CR Geetha,Mohammad MA,and Narasimha Murthy with other staff has conducted raids at the office of IMA Jewels and his third divorced wife,Tabassum Banu’ house,where Rs.33 Crore worth jewels,precious gems and documents were retrieved.At the IMA Jewels’showroom located at Jayanagar,43 kg Gold worth Rs.13 Crore,5,864 Carat of Diamond worth Rs.17.6 crore,520 kg of silver worth Rs.1.5 Crore and precious gems worth Rs.1.5 crore were reportedly found.At Tabassum’s house in Shivajinagar,1.5 kg of gold,1.5 kg silver and Rs.2.69 lakh cash were seized.Apart from these,26 immovable properties,such as commercial buildings,land, school and apartments belonging to Mansoor Khan were found.
The scam has gained nationwide attention as people of Hyderabad, Tamilnadu and New Delhi,apart from Bengaluru and Karnataka, have invested in the company.
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy yesterday said his government would bring to book the perpetrators involved in the Rs 5,000 crore scam, which has left more than 30,000 people in the lurch.Even as the news of Khan fleeing to Dubai is making the rounds, Kumaraswamy said wherever the perpetrators have gone, the government would bring them back to India. He also assured the investors that they would get their money back.Kumaraswamy added that he would convene a meeting of the officers and direct them to initiate stringent measures to ensure poor people get their money back he said.
Meanwhile Many Investors has moved to High Court seeking CBI probe into IMA fraud.The investors filed Petition seeks Karnataka HC’s intervention in probe of multi-crore IMA ponzi scam.
A petition was filed in the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday seeking its intervention in the investigation of IMA jewel ponzi scam, which duped several thousands of investors to the tune of over Rs 15,000 Crore.
The plea, moved by an investor through advocate Muiz Ahmed Khan, has sought directions to the state and investigating agencies to take urgent steps for the attachment, seizure of the properties of the company and its directors.
The petitioner has also sought a direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to “conduct a fair and impartial investigation in the matter as the transparent investigation is bleak because of the allegations against top mighty politicians
Hearing the PIL filed by Rasheed Nagar and Nazia Banu,from Shivajinagar, Bengaluru, the division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice HT Narendra Prasad sought status report from the Karnataka government on the probe in IMA scam.
The high court also issued notices to scam-accused IMA group, Burraq group, Aala Ventures, Tiforp Trading Service Private Limited and other companies alleged of cheating their investors.
Meanwhile, the SIT is awaiting Karnataka high court’s order to impose the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (KPID) Act, 2004. This direction will give a free hand to the police to identify all properties owned by Mansoor Khan.
Two similar PILs demanding CBI probe into IMA scam were heard by a single bench headed by Justice Alok Aradhe.
So far more than 60,000 persons have filed complaints with the police against the IMA group.
The Karnataka government has justified its decision of directing the SIT by stating that CBI has many pending cases to be solved. Whereas the state-led CID is handling 17 cases and CCB is handling seven cases.
Murder cases of journalist Gowri Lankesh and rationalist MM Kalaburagi are also being probed by the SIT. Gowri Lankesh’s family had told that they are happy with the progress made by the SIT in the case.
