PRAMESH S JAIN
“Suspended DC,BM Vijayshankar and AC,LC Nagaraj lodged in prison”.
In a major development the Special Investigative team (SIT) headed by DIG,DR.BR.Ravikanthe Gowda under the supervision of DCP Crime,Girish S with his 11 Member team probing the multi-crore I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Ponzi scheme scam in Bengaluru has arrested a Moulvi for accepting gifts from the prime accused Mansoor khan in Propagating IMA Ponzi Scam scheme with this the team has arrested two more persons for illegally taking possession of a property that belonged to IMA founder owner Mohammad Mansoor Khan
in connection with about Rs.15,000 Crore scam that has duped over 40,000 people of their money.
During the course of investigation, inspector Shekhar received an alert stating that some people have forged the documents of a building belonging to the absconding Khan and have taken possession of the property.
After further verification, the SIT sleuths found concrete evidence towards the accusations leading to the arrest of Babu and Muneer, who is a rowdy-sheeter in Tilaknagar and Basavanagudi police station in Bengaluru.
The three accused has been identified as,Haneef Afsar Azeezi,who works as a priest at Masjid-e-Beparian in Shivajinagar,Muneer Alias Gun Muneer a rowdy sheeter and Brigade Babu.
The accused Brigade Babu and Muneer alias Gun Muneer have allegedly forged the property documents and have illegally taken possession of a building belonging to IMA in Richmond Road in Bengaluru.
The biggest Multi-Crore Fraud case which is being probe by the SIT team after verifying the documents seized in their 27 days of search operation the team has got a hint of some person has forged Richmond road property documents belonging to IMA and has taken a possession illegally based on the information inspector Shekar collected all the details about the property of Richmond road and it was found that some person has forged the documents and has taken the possession illegally based on which a team of officers raided the building and arrested duo and during interrogation the accused confessed the crime and spilled the beans that they have forged the property documents and have taken the possession illegally a case has been registered in Ashoknagar police Station and the property has been recovered and seized from the accused and further investigation is on.With this the team has even recovered Rs.2.5 Crore rupees cash from the suspended Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner,DC,and a Rs.1.5 Crore worth Demand Draft from Adoni Constructions.
The SIT team had arrested Bengaluru Urban Deputy commissioner (DC) BM Vijayshankar for accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 crore from Khan in order to issue a clearance certificate to the IMA Group.After arresting the Bengaluru urban DC,the SIT sleuths produced him to the court and took him into police custody for further investigation.During the investigation,Vijayshankar confessed that he had paid the amount to a builder for purchasing a flat based on his statement the investigating team has successfully recovered Rs.1.5 crore from the builder.Meanwhile,the SIT officials found that Vijayshankar had accepted a bribe of Rs.1 Crore as a bribe from an unidentified person that amount has also been recovered.A separate case has been registered against him in the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and further investigation is on.
The SIT officials have also recovered a demand draft of Rs.1.5 Crore that was issued by Mohammed Mansoor Khan to a construction company as Adoni constructions to build a flyover in Bengaluru has also been recovered from Adoni Constructions by the SIT sleuths.
Meanwhile as on July 11th based on credible inputs the SIT team has arrested a maulvi on charge of Propagating people to invest in the IMA ponzi scheme.The arrested, Haneef Afsar Azeezi who worked as a priest at Masjid-e-Beparian in Shivajinagar is alleged to have influenced several people by Propagating them to invest in IMA in the name of Halal.For this the absconded prime accused IMA founder Mohammed Mansoor Khan has gifted the Moulvi a three storied building in HRBR layout in the year 2017,worth of Rs.3 Crores has also been seized and the moulvi who was arrested on thursday July 11th,for encouraging Muslims to invest in IMA, has also been remanded in police custody till July 18 and further investigation is on.
On July 6th,the investigating team had arrested Bengaluru North Assistant Commissioner LC Nagaraj and the village accountant,Manjunath,for allegedly taking a bribe of about Rs.4.5 Crore from IMA’s founder Mohammed Mansoor Khan. Nagaraj was reportedly looking into the company after Reserve Bank of India highlighted irregularities.
Nagaraj had issued a public notice against IMA in March this year,However,without probing the irregularities,a clearance certificate was given to RBI allegedly stating that no complaints were received against IMA.Shankar signed off on the clearance certificate.Nagaraj had taken Rs 4.5 crore bribe from Mansoor Khan and 1.5 Crore was given to Shankar.
The Enforcement Directorate,which is also looking into the case,on June 28,issued a notice to Karnataka Minister, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan to appear before it.The agency also questioned Khan as he had sold his property to the IMA founder.
The Enforcement Directorate had recently lodged a criminal case of money laundering against the IMA Group of Companies and its promoter and managing director Mohammed Mansoor Khan.He has been accused of running a ponzi scheme in Karnataka that has allegedly duped more than 40,000 people of about Rs 15,000 crore.People from Bengaluru,Kolar,Hubli,Mysuru,
A nominated corporator Syed Mujahid and a Bangalore Development Authority officer identified as Kumar with 13 accused who are 12 directors and Auditor Iqbal khan of I Monetary Advisory,IMA were earlier arrested in connection with the fraud.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the case simultaneously, had recently questioned Karnataka minority welfare minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan as he had sold his property in the city to Mansoor Khan.
The ED which has registered a money laundering case in the scam in which thousands of depositors are said to have been duped, had attached assets worth Rs 209 crore,including 20 immovable properties and bank deposits, in connection with the case.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged IMA group ponzi scam, served a notice to Congress MLA Roshan Baig last week as on tuesday 10th July, asking him to appear before it on Thursday 12th July.
This comes hours after the Shivajinagar MLA resigned from the assembly. The lawmaker was earlier suspended from the Congress for his alleged anti-party activities.
Meanwhile the suspended Bengaluru Urban DC,Senior IAS officer,moves High Court,seeks CBI probe in IMA case:
Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru District (Urban) B.M.Vijayshankar, who was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs.1.5 Crore for sending a favourable report about I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Group, moved the High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday seeking a CBI probe.
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered issue of notices to the Union and State governments, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Serious Fraud Investigation Organisation (SFIO) and others on a petition by B.M. Vijayshankar, suspended IAS officer, seeking a probe by the CBI into the criminal case registered against M/s I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Group of Companies.
Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar also ordered issue of notice to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the State government to probe the case against the IMA Group.
The petitioner was arrested by the SIT on the allegation of taking a bribe of Rs.1.5 crore for submitting a ‘favourable’ report about the IMA Group when he was the deputy commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district and a competent authority under the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments Act, 2004 for the district.
Earlier, Senior Counsel V. Lakshminarayana, appearing for Mr. Vijayshankar, contended that the government could not have constituted an SIT for probing the case against the IMA Group in view of the promulgation of the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Ordinance 2019 by the President of India on February 21, 2019.
It was claimed in his petition that the State government had no jurisdiction to set up the SIT to probe the FIR registered against IMA in view of the promulgation of the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Ordinance 2019 by the President of India on February 21, 2019. The petition is yet to come up for hearing.
It was also contended that the probe on the FIR should be transferred to the CBI in view of Section 29 and 30 of the BUDS Ordinance, 2019, as the provisions indicate that the police officer on recording information of commission of offence under the Ordinance should inform the competent authority. On receipt of information, the authority will have to refer the matter to the Centre to order a CBI probe when the amount involved is of such a magnitude that significantly affects public interest.
Mr. Vijayshankar claimed that he had merely forwarded a report on IMA received from a Deputy Inspector General of Police CID. He also sought direction to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office to probe the IMA case.
The BJP has also demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.The ED had filed the money laundering case against the IMA group of companies and Mohammed Mansoor Khan after reports emerged that he has gone underground fearing investments worth crores of about 40,000 investors have tanked.
Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner,BM Vijayshankar and the Bengaluru North Assistant Commissioner, LC Nagaraj,who was arrested earlier in the case, have been remanded in judicial custody till July 25.
