Ready to Return and Cooperate, Says IMA Jewels’ Absconding Founder Mansoor Khan in Video
Bengaluru: I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Jewels founder Mansoor Khan, who is accused of perpetrating financial fraud running into several crores of rupees, on Sunday released a video saying he wants to return to India, pay back the investors, and cooperate with authorities.
IMA Jewels has allegedly cheated a large number of investors, mainly Muslims, after promising them impressive returns on their deposits. The firm allegedly has not paid interests on investments for the last three months.
Khan disappeared earlier this month after sending an audio clip to some investors threatening to commit suicide due to what he alleged was “harassment” by some politicians and rowdies. He is reportedly now in Dubai.
In the video, Khan said he had gone to the airport on June 14 to return to India but was off-boarded by authorities, who allegedly told him that he needed to stay where he was. “It was a mistake to leave my land but I couldn’t stay there,” he said without disclosing his current location. “My own people had backstabbed me. Politicians who were close to me were a threat to my life. I had to hide my family. It was all done in a hurry.”
Khan said he would like to return to India and told Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Alok Kumar* that his number is the same as that in India. Seeking two to three days’ time, he also asked the cop whom he should meet to disclose the details.
“I will come back and give all the details. I will place before you everything in black and white,” he said.
Khan said he has property worth Rs 1,350 crore, which will be liquidated to pay off the investors.
Khan also accused “99% of the people” of spreading fake new and claimed he never ran a Ponzi scheme as reported. He has earlier also accused former Congress MLA Roshan Baig of having taken Rs 400 crore and not paying it back.
The Karnataka government has formed an 11-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by DIG BR Ravikanthe Gowda to probe the alleged fraud.
On June 20, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued the first summon to Khan directing him to appear before the agency on June 24. The next day, the SIT conducted a raid at IMA Jewels’ office in New Delhi and seized jewels worth Rs 20 crore. The SIT had arrested the firm’s auditor Iqbal Khan and seven directors of different entities linked to Khan.
Over 40,000 complaints have been filed against the company, demanding that their money be returned.