BENGALURU: After taking over the investigation into the infamous I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam, in which nearly 21,000 investors lost their hard earned money, the Special Investigating Team held its first meeting on Thursday.
The 11-member team, led by DIG Ravikanthe Gowda, reportedly discussed about ways to go about the investigation and nab the absconding IMA Chairman Mohammed Mansoor Khan and his family members.
A senior police officer said, “According to preliminary reports, around Rs 1,730 crore has been siphoned off by the IMA Chairman and around 21,000 people had invested money in the company. We have taken the seven directors into custody for further interrogation. The complaints are being filed at the Commercial Street police station.” The auditor of the company has also been reportedly picked up for questioning.
He added that as it was a sensitive case, the police cannot divulge much information. “Our priority is to track down Mansoor Khan and his family members. There are reports that he flew to United Arab Emirates, but it cannot be confirmed until we get valid inputs,” he said.
Another officer said they have seized three offices, including the jewellery shop, belonging to IMA. While one office is located in Jayanagar, the other two are in Shivaji Nagar.
“It also learnt that Mansoor owns more than 13 buildings located in prime areas and these are being inspected. We can give out information regarding these properties, only after we carry out a confirmation check,” he added.
The officer added that call records of Mansoor, his family members and the IMA staff are being examined. The police are also seeking information from people, who had invested in IMA.
“While one of the directors revealed that Mansoor might have flown out of the city on June 7, this is being investigated. But none of the directors have any clue about his whereabouts,” the officer said.
The police would cross-examine the seven directors and see if they are giving out similar or conflicting statements, he added.
The seven directors indicated to police on Thursday that they were unaware of the crisis and the owner had asked them to take long leave for Ramzan.
They said Mansoor had convened a meeting with them a few days prior to his disappearance and discussed investments in various locations, police said.
Before the unsuspecting employees and its sister companies could return to work, they got news of Mansoor's 'disappearance' and the panic among investors. The directors were apprehended on Wednesday from different locations in the city.
