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.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
