The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the IMA scam on Thursday raided the head office of IMA Jewels located in Bengaluru’s Shivajinagar area. SIT sleuths say that they have seized silver ornaments in the raids.
SIT sources say that the jewellery store’s shelves were devoid of ornaments and the silver that was seized needs to be valued to determine the cost.
“There were about 15 to 20 employees at the office. They were here because they wanted to get their original certificates, like marks cards, back. We interviewed them and took information about the workings of the office. We found only silver in the vault. The shelves were empty,” the SIT official added.
Investigators say that Mohammed Mansoor Khan, who is believed to have fled the country following the expose, is said to have siphoned off the gold and diamonds from the store between June 5 and June 8.
“Mansoor Khan disappeared on June 8. He was called in for questioning by the Central Crime Branch on June 5, where he was grilled for 8 hours. We believe he could have been tipped off about a possible arrest and he fled the country with the gold and other ornaments,” the source said.
IMA offered members of the Muslim community ‘halal’ investment options. According to the Sharia law, it is considered ‘haram’ (prohibited) to draw interests (riba) on the money. ‘Halal’ options are considered ethical wherein the amount can be invested in the trade of commodities accepted under the Islamic law and a profit is shared with the investors.
When IMA shut down on June 10, investors were left with two audio clips purported to be suicide notes recorded by Mansoor Khan. However, on June 13, the SIT learned that he had fled to Dubai with his fourth wife and two children. The SIT has conducted raids on several of his properties since June 10 and on Monday, raided the home of his third wife, Tabassum. They recovered 1.5 kg gold and Rs 2.5 lakh cash along with a laptop from there.