Bengaluru, June 11: Hundreds of investors of I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Jewels gathered outside the firm's office in Shivajinagar, Bengaluru, on Monday after its absconding owner and founder Mohammed Mansoor Khan's purported audio clip went viral on WhatsApp. In the audio clip, Mohammed Mansoor Khan, who is also managing director of IMA Jewels, said that he was going to commit suicide.

Khan, in the audio clip, purportedly alleged that senior Congress leader and Shivajinagar MLA R Roshan Baig had taken Rs 400 crore from him and refused to give it back. He also said that he was ending his life as he was "tired of bribing corrupt politicians and bureaucrats". The police, however, neither confirmed nor denied that Khan had committed suicide. Heera Gold Scam: Nowhera Shaikh Blames Demonetisation, GST For Non-Payment of Dividends.

Addressing Bengaluru City police commissioner, Khan said: " By the time you would be listening to this message, I’m certain that I won’t be there in this world. I have decided to end my life. Sir, I built this company with a lot of hard work in the last 12 to 13 years. But because of the corruption in the Central government and the state government, I kept bribing the bureaucrats and Muslim politicians. The PMO and the RBI were misinformed."

"It had become an earning opportunity for all these officers and politicians. My final problem arose when the local MLA refused to return Rs 400 crore to me when he did not get the ticket. Instead of returning the money, he started sending his men to my office and residence. I and my family faced danger to our lives. I had to keep them in a village. I am in South Bengaluru but by the time you would be listening to this audio clip, I would be no more," Khan is heard saying.

"The only intention behind recording this audio is that I have Rs 500 crore worth of properties in Bengaluru, 30,000-carat diamonds as well as gold. Please take all of this into your custody and pay my investors. But beware of the frauds and pay only genuine investors," the IMA founder says. As soon as the audio clip went viral, hundreds of IMA investors thronged the firm's office and allegedly tried to attack IMA's showroom.

The situation was later brought under control with the deployment of additional forces. Later, worried investors queued up at the Commercial Street police station to file complaints against IMA Jewels. Over 3000 complaints have been lodged against IMA. Roshan Baig also denied any dealings with IMA Group said he would file a case with the cyber police.

The Karnataka government has taken cognise of the developing situation. "IMA Jewels issue has been taken seriously. The government understands the situation of investors. I have also spoken to Home Minister MB Patil about the issue and the case has been handed over to CCB (Central Crime Branch). Action will be taken against culprits," Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Meanwhile, the police have intensified efforts to track Khan. Khan is believed to have fled to the UAE on the evening of June 8, said a report. According to the IMA group website, the IMA Group has businesses encompassing retail jewellery, gold finance, infrastructure development, bullion trading, housing, print media, education, book publishing, healthcare and hospital, perfume and a mall. It promised returns ranging from 14 per cent to 18 per cent per month.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 11, 2019 04:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).