Karnataka to strengthen existing panel to check financial frauds
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government Tuesday decided to strengthen the existing panel to check financial frauds by including some more officials from other government bodies in the wake of recurring incidents in the state.
"There already exists a high-level committee. We will include a few more in it after discussions with the chief secretary. We will take steps to ensure financial frauds don't recur," home minister M B Patil said.
He said the committee should have representatives from the Reserve Bank of India, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department.
Patil said there were many challenges to tackle cases of financial fraud, which relate to law, the cooperative and revenue departments, municipal corporations shops and business establishment department and registrars of companies.
The home minister said he would request the chief secretary to fix responsibilities on the officials concerned when such incidents occur. A representation would be submitted to the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court on dealing with such cases, he said.
A major shortcoming, Patil said, was that Karnataka police does not have powers to confiscate properties, which their counterparets in Tamil Nadu have.
Necessary changes would be made to give the state police such powers, he said.
The minister said seven of the 24 fraud cases under investigation were being probed by the central crime branch and the rest by the criminal investigation department.
The government decision comes in the backdrop of Monday's incident when hundreds of investors thronged 'I Monetary Advisory jewels' store here worried about their money, after an audio clip surfaced with a person,alleged to be its founder and Managing Director Mohammed Mansoor Khan heard saying he is going to commit suicide as he was fed up with corruption.
Police had said they had received thousands of complaints against IMA jewels and Khan, whose whereabouts are still not known, from investors who are mainly vendors, small businessmen and from middle and lower middle class.
Referring to the 'I Monetary Advisory jewels' store case, Patil said most of the investors were from the minority community.
Since drawing interest was prohibited in Islam, Khan had turned the investors into shareholders of his business and promised distributing the profit from his earnings, he added.
Meanwhile, police have intensified the search to trace Khan.
Earlier, the government had handed over to a Special Investigation Team, the case relating to the alleged "fraud" by the investment firm, affecting thousands of investors, the chief minister's office said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
ALSO READ: Confusion over leadership in Karnataka is local, not at high command level: Kharge
He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
