Eid Milad celebrated with religious fervour in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi

Bengaluru, June 24: City-based I Monetary Advisory (IMA), which duped thousands of families, mostly Muslims, in the name of halal investment, has become a bitter reality of "we were robbed by our own people". All the accused except its CEO Mohammad Mansoor Khan have been released on bail in this ponzi scam worth thousands of crores of rupees.

The scam has not only been investigated by SIT and CBI, but it has reverberated many times in the Assembly, corridors of power, and in the courts.

Around 80,000 investors are in trouble after the Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam came to light. Many investors have left this world, many families have split, many marriages have broken down and many have become unemployed, homeless, helpless and hapless. One of the senior IAS office, who had faced arrest in the scam, reportedly killed himself just a day ago.

It has been more than a year since this multi-billion scam came to light. But the affected families still do not see any ray of hope. The government, led by senior IAS officer Harsh Gupta, has set up a special competent authority to address investor grievances in the matter.

According to information provided by Harsh Gupta, investors have to be paid Rs 2,900 crore. But the value of the company's assets seized so far could be around Rs 450 crore. The process of auctioning the assets has not started yet. The authority has developed an online portal for submission of claim forms from investors. But the process of taking applications has not started yet. Syed Gulab, a social worker overseeing the case, says that after all the claim forms have been submitted, we will get a clear picture about the exact number of investors and the total amount of arrears. But this process may take a few more months to complete.

Senior journalist Maqbool Ahmed Siraj says that IMA has systematically deceived people in the name of halal investment through capital scheme. In 2006, Muhammad Mansoor Khan, a one-time small businessman, set up a company. He began to attract large number of investors by creating the greed for more profit among middle class and poor people.

By 2015, the company had received money from more than 12,000 investors and continued to pay monthly profits. By the time the company closed in 2019, 80,000 people had invested their hard-earned money here. In Bengaluru, the company expanded its reach by investing in two major gold showrooms, hospitals, schools, several medical stores, a publishing center, a supermarket, and real estate firm.

Mr Siraj says that Mansoor Khan and his team not only lured the poor and middle class to pursue their own interests but also created a favourable atmosphere for their so called business by winning the hearts of politicians, government officials, clerics, religious institutions and media.

Unsuspecting people invested their money in a bid to make more profit in less time. When the company stopped making profits and Mansoor Khan suddenly fled on June 9, 2019, the investors woke up the to the reality.

Apart from residents of Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, people from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra other states also have invested their money.

Bengaluru, Feb 16: Three students from Kashmir studying at a private engineering college in Hubballi district of Karnataka were arrested on sedition charges for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and posting a video of it on a messaging platform, police said on Saturday.

Police said, according to preliminary information, the students are from Shopian in Kashmir and action has been taken on the basis of a complaint from the college management.

"We received information that three students hailing from Kashmir studying at the KLE Institute of Technology had raised slogans supporting Pakistan. They had made a video about it which has gone viral. Immediately our team headed by Inspector Gokul Road station went to the spot and arrested them," Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner R Dileep said.

Right wing activists, including those from Bajarang Dal who had gathered near the college, demanded stringent action against the three.

As the students were being taken to the police station with their faces covered, an activist tried to attack them, but police escorted them safely.

The FIR has been lodged under IPC sections relating to sedition and affecting communal harmony, the official said.

"We are investigating, and whatever comes out as per evidence, law and facts, we will take further action. We will look into their background, whether anyone has tried to mislead them," Mr Dileep said, adding that the arrest should not be seen as action against any particular community or region.

According to officials, the selfie video of the three has gone viral as they posted it on WhatsApp. In the video one of them can be purportedly seen initially uttering something with background music on, after which they chant ''Azadi'' one after the other. Then joining chorus to the music that is playing, they purportedly say "Pakistan Zindabad."

The music they played is said to be Pakistani military's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) song, which police said needs to be ascertained.

The video seems to have been recorded at the college hostel, where the students were put up. College principal Basavaraj Anami said the college has given complaint to the police and the students will be suspended.

The students were admitted under central quota and two are doing their first year civil engineering, while the other is a third year student in the same stream, he said.

According to him, the three had made the video and posted it on WhatsApp.

"It came to our notice in the morning, following which I called the students immediately to my office, and informed the police," the principal told reporters.

"In the video, they have purportedly shouted pro-Pakistan slogans allegedly in the backdrop of the Pulwama attack anniversary yesterday," he added.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi, who hails from the district, described the act unfortunate and demanded strict action against those involved.

Belgaum, May 6: A police constable engaged in security duty at the Belgaum District Collector's bungalow committed suicide by shooting himself on Wednesday morning.

The deceased was identified as Prakash Gurvannavar (32) who was a native of Ambadgatti village in Kittur taluka in the Belgaum district.

Upon receiving information about the incident, Commissioner of Police Lokesh Kumar rushed to the spot.

Further investigation is underway.