BENGALURU: The multi-crore I Monetory Advisory (IMA) investment scam is getting murkier by the day with a fresh FIR being filed against the company and its absconding MD Mohammad Mansoor Khan.
For the first time a jeweller has approached the police and filed a complaint accusing Mansoor of duping him of Rs 9 crore.
The complainant, Ankit Sanghvi, stated that Mansoor had recently purchased gold worth Rs 9.8 crore from him.
Mansoor had issued a cheque and told him to deposit it after a specific date. But before he could do so, the IMA scam broke out.
The jeweller then approached the Commercial Street police and lodged a complaint following which an FIR was registered. So far, six FIRs have been lodged against IMA group and Mansoor, including one in Mysuru.
Mansoor is currently absconding and fled the country, leaving thousands of investors in the lurch. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the investment scam has seized Mansoor’s and IMA's bank accounts.
Complaints cross 40k
Meanwhile there seems to be no end to cheated investors thronging Commercial Street police station and AS Convention Hall to file complaints. Nowadays a majority of those filing complaints are from outside Bengaluru, as local investors have already filed theirs.
According to police, over 40,000 complaints have been filed against IMA and its MD and the number is expected to cross 50,000. The size of the scam is said to be Rs 3,000-5,000 crore.
SIT waiting for FSL Report
The audio clip purportedly by IMA group MD Mohammad Mansoor Khan which had created a havoc prompting thousands of investors to turn up at IMA's office in Shivaji Nagar and later file complaints against the absconding MD needs to be verified. The SIT is awaiting FSL report on the audio clip, and ascertain if the voice in the audio was of Mansoor or not, before taking any further steps.
"The allegations in the audio clip are serious and needs to be ascertained. We are awaiting FSL report to confirm if it was Mansoor's voice. Though Mr Baig has been accused of taking Rs. 400 crore from Mansoor, the issue can only be taken up once the FSL reports arrives," the police said.
