"I will be coming to India in 24 hours, on my will. I have full faith in the Indian judiciary," said IMA Jewels Founder and Managing Director Mansoor Khan.
More than a month after he went absconding, Mansoor Khan has released yet another video. This time, he has claimed that he will return to India in the next 24 hours. If indeed the man accused of swindling thousands and has deep political connections, comes back to the state at the time of the political crisis, it will have serious repercussions.
Mansoor is the prime accused in the multi-crore ‘halal’ ponzi scam, wherein he has been accused of cheating 40,000 investors to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore. The video, which has been published on Monday on the IMA’s Youtube channel, is being widely shared on WhatsApp and other social media channels.
In the seven-minute video, Mansoor claimed that the investors’ money could be recovered by selling the assets of the company. He also claimed that he was returning for the sake of the investors and urged the investors to “keep their abuses and violence to themselves”.
“I have been trying to return to Bengaluru. I have been unwell and been on bed rest for one month because of my cardiac and diabetic condition. Today, I can make this video as my palpitation is under control. But I promised that I will return as soon as possible. I have a diabetic condition and also heart blockage. I have to undergo an immediate operation as I have three blocks in my heart, and I don’t have enough money. Since I could not afford to get proper treatment, I will be coming to India in 24 hours, on my will. I have full faith in the Indian judiciary,” he said in the video.
Mansoor has been accused of running a Ponzi scheme – where the money is rotated from new investors to older investors – in the name of I Monetary Advisory (IMA). He fled India around June 13, when the scam surfaced, and investigators believe he is in hiding in Dubai.
Like the previous video, Mansoor, while admitting to fleeing the country, claims that he was under a lot of pressure from politicians and anti-social elements. “I don’t know where my family is. I have no source of contacting them,” he said.
He has also said that he has a “list” on how he can return the investors’ money.
“I will give the documents to the Department. If we liquidate the assets, we can return the money to many clients. I am coming there for all the investors... Please trust me,” he said, adding that he has already arranged for the flight tickets.
Meanwhile, sources of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the scam, said that they have tracked Mansoor Khan's movements in the last few days. "We can't reveal the plan of action yet. We will be able to give more information once he is apprehended," an SIT source told TNM.
Till day, SIT has arrested 19 people, including IAS officer and former Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner Vijay Shankar (IAS), Assistant Commissioner of the Revenue Department LC Nagaraj, BDA Executive Engineer Kumar, city corporator Syed Mujahid, one religious preacher and village accountant Manjunath. Others include the 12 directors of IMA.
Incidentally, Congress rebel MLA Roshan Baig, who was named by Mansoor Khan in his first video, skipped a summon by the SIT. Roshan Baig recently quit as MLA and is one of the MLAs rebelling against the Congress.