Was IMA chief Mansoor Khan lying about his properties? SIT probe reveals truth

The SIT sleuths raided the office of IMA director Mohammed Mansoor Khan, a day after his new video surfaced on the internet, claiming that kilos of jewellery and gold bullion were kept inside the company's vaults.

A team of investigating officers headed by DCP S Girish raided the IMA office at Lady Curzon Road on Monday (June 24). They have recovered gold mortgage, bank and property documents of over 600 people from the office. Most of the documents belonged to the company staff and the teachers working in the school owned by IMA. The SIT officers also found nearly 50 kg of gold from the IMA office.

The IMA scam has left not just the investors but the investigators also stranded. After Khan's recent claims that he has properties worth Rs 500 crore, which can be liquidated and given to his investors as settlements, the SIT found that his total of assets is estimated to be only worth Rs 300 crore.

On June 20, the officials had raided IMA jewels and his office at Shivajinagar and Jayanagar from where they recovered diamonds, gold and other jewellery worth Rs 20 crore.

According to the earlier reports, Khan had transported the melted gold to an unknown location from IMA after he planned his escape. He allegedly melted 35 kg of gold in three days between June 5 and 8 after declaring a five day holiday for Ramadan to the company staff on June 4.

It is alleged that Khan transported money to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through hawala network. The SIT had also seized a 0.32mm pistol and 50 bullets belonging to Mansoor Khan in Monday's raid. The firearm license was issued by Tilak Nagar police in March 2018, reports News9.

Khan in his video had claimed of surrendering before the police if the law enforcement ensured his safety as he fears for himself and his family. He said that if he is allowed to return back to India he shall give the whole details of everyone involved in IMA, including all the top shots. "I want to present all the evidence I have before the police and courts. But the people involved in this scam are big people," he said.

The SIT sleuths claimed that they have knowledge of Khan's location and will soon get him. Deputy Inspector General Ravikante Gowda has also guaranteed Mansoor Khan's safety as he himself had claimed of surrendering in the new video.

As the names of several Congress leaders and top government officials have been taken out by Khan in the operations of IMA, the BJP has demanded a CBI inquiry over the Ponzi scam claiming that only then the truth behind the scam will be exposed.