BENGALURU: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) Delhi on Thursday morning conducted raids at the premises of former Congress ministers Roshan Baig and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan in the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) multi crore Ponzi scheme.

According to informed sources, the raids are being conducted at 15 locations of the two politicians in the city.

In July, the State government had provisionally attached the immovable and movable properties of the former Congress MLA and Minister R Roshan Baig under the Karnataka Protection of interest of Depositors in Financial Establishment Act, 2004 in the IMA scam.

The properties were attached by the Competent Authority in the IMA case, including the six immovable properties mentioned in the affidavit that Baig had submitted before the Election Commission in
2018 along with nomination papers for the Assembly elections.

In July, 2019, the ED had summoned Khan who was then Food and Civil Supplies and Minority Welfare Minister, for questioning in connection with selling his property at Richmond Town to IMA owner Mohammed Mansoor Khan. ED had registered the Prevention of Money Laundering Act

BENGALURU: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, August 5, 2021, conducted searches at the residence of former Karnataka minister and Congress leader Roshan Baig in connection with the I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) investment scam unearthed in 2019.

A separate ED team also conducted raids at the residence of Chickpet MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan’s residence in connection with the case.

Over half a dozen ED officers have been searching Baig’s premises in Coles Park in Pulikeshinagar since morning. The seven-time Congress MLA from Shivaji Nagar constituency in the heart of Bengaluru, Baig was arrested on November 22 last year by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after being quizzed for nearly 10 hours.

The CBI also raided Baig’s Bengaluru residence a day after his arrest.

The Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case against the IMA group of companies and prime accused in the case, Mohammed Mansoor Khan after reports emerged that he has gone underground fearing investments worth crores of about 50,000 investors in the ponzi scam.

The ED began a money-laundering probe based on First Information Report (FIR) registered by the CBI.

Karnataka-based I-Monetary Advisors (IMA), an investment firm purportedly run in compliance with Islamic banking rules, collapsed in May 2019 after it could not repay either the deposits or dividends on the deposits it had illegally accepted.

The prime accused Mohammed Mansoor Khan, managing director and chief executive officer of the IMA Group of companies, at the time of his arrest, had alleged that Baig had cheated him of Rs 400 crore and forced him to gift expensive cars and jewellery. He had also named some other government officers.

The former minister had then rejected the charge and claimed that except for some donations to Haj facilitation centres, he had not accepted any money.

Both Baig and Khan are out on bail, while investigators are trying to recover money lost by the depositors.

The then coalition government of Congress and JD(S) had formed a special investigation team to probe the matter in September 2019. However, the BJP government which came to power later handed over the case to the CBI. The CBI has arraigned an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, two Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, a Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) officer and a corporator as accused among others in the case after the state government gave permission for prosecuting them.

Baig was suspended from the Congress party in June 2019 after he criticized the leader of opposition Siddaramaiah as well as then KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao. Baig had also attempted to join the BJP. He, however, was not inducted into BS Yediyurappa’s party, unlike 16 other disqualified legislators of Congress and JDS, whose revolt led to the collapse of the HD Kumarasamy led coalition government in 2019.

Karnataka High Court recently ordered the seizure of Baig’s immovable assets.

Karnataka government informed the High court last month that it has attached properties belonging to Baig. 

A case was registered against the man under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and he was arrested based on a complaint filed by the district coordinator of the RSS-backed student organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the officer said.

“Vishal Maurya of Ganesh Colony here made some objectionable comments about Bhagwat. A complaint was filed by ABVP district coordinator Akash Kumar stating that his comments hurt their feeling and that the youth also misbehaved with him,” Superintendent of Police Chakresh Mishra said.

The man’s mobile phone has been seized and a detailed probe into the matter is underway, the officer said.

NEW DELHI: With 42,625 people testing positive for the coronavirus infection in a day, India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,17,69,132 and the active caseload increased to 4,10,353, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday.

The number of active cases increased to 4,10,353 and accounted for 1.9 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate rose to 97.37 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

An increase of 5,395 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours.

As many as 18,47,518 samples were tested on Tuesday taking the number of tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 47,31,42,307.

According to the Union Health Ministry, India recorded 42,625 new #COVID19 cases, 36,668 discharges & 562 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate stood at 2.31 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.36 per cent, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,09,33,022, while the case fatality rate stood at 1.34 per cent, according to the data.

Cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country so far has reached 48.52 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5; and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20; and the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore coronavirus cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23.

BENGALURU: While Karnataka’s 13-member Technical Advisory Committee under Dr Devi Shetty has given a preparedness list to mitigate the third wave, clinical doctors, including pulmonologists, say the state should also think of opening monoclonal antibody daycare centres.

“Every district, or at least major cities, should have monoclonal antibody daycare centres along with triage centres. I have administered it to more than 100 patients now, and seen tremendous results,” said Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, pulmonologist, Manipal Hospitals.

Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic versions of the body’s natural line of defence against severe infection, now deployed after the virus has broken past the vaccine’s barrier of protection. The therapy is meant for Covid patients early on in their infection, and those who are at high risk of getting even sicker to help keep them out of hospital. This risk group includes people aged 65 and older, who have diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, obesity, asthma or who are immuno-compromised.

According to Dr Gopikrishna, consultant physician, Sevakshetra Hospital, availability of this treatment at subsidised rates will definitely help those who cannot afford it. “The drug will cost around Rs 1 lakh. The cocktail drug has definitely been a miracle,” he said.

Recently, Biocon Biologics, in collaboration with US-based Adagio Therapeutics, applied for an exclusive licence to manufacture and commercialise antibody treatment, for prevention and treatment of Covid-19.
“Recently, FDA permitted the use of such treatment in breakthrough infections too. It makes a lot of sense for the government to invest in treatment of Covid-19 and not just in prevention,” said Dr Sanjay Gururaj, consultant physician at Shanti Hosptial.

BENGALURU: At 2.15 PM on Wednesday, 29 legislators of the BJP will take oath as ministers in the Basavaraj Bommai cabinet.

In an unusual press conference ahead of the cabinet expansion, Bommai said that the central leadership of the BJP has decided not to have any Deputy Chief Ministers.

“The list has been finalised and I have sent it to the Governor. Twenty-nine ministers will take oath of office. Unlike last time when there were three DCMs, the high command has decided that there will be no DCMs this time,” Basavaraj Bommai told the press. He added that his 30-strong cabinet, including himself, will have three Dalits, one ST, seven OBC, Eight Lingayat, seven Vokkaligas and two Brahmin ministers. 

While new faces have been inducted, senior leaders and former ministers like Jagadish Shettar, Suresh Kumar, Arvind Limbavali, Laxman Savadi, CP Yogeshwar, R Shankar and Srimanth Patil have been dropped from the cabinet.

Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, KS Eshwarappa, Shivaram Hebbar, Byrathi Basavaraj, Dr K Sudhakar, B Sriramulu, R Ashok, V Somanna, B C Patil, Umesh Katti, Araga Jnanedra, S Angara, Munirathana, V Sunil Kumar,  MTB Nagaraj, Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, Govind Karjol, ST Somshekar, Shashikala Jolle, Narayan Gowda, Prabhu Chauhan, Kota Srinivas Poojary, Gopalaiah, BC Nagesh, Halappa Achar, Maadhuswamy, Anand Singh, CC Patil, Murgesh Nirani are set to be inducted into the cabinet.

Pramesh Jain

The Shivajinagar police booked a 31-year-old rowdy under goonda Act on Tuesday and remanded to judicial custody.

The accused Syed Naseer is a habitual offender involved in over 11 criminal cases.

Senior officer told reporters,Though the accused is on bail he continued to be involved in antisocial activities disturbing law and order and creating fear psychosis among the members of the general public,violating the bail conditions.

The police prepared a detailed report and submitted it to the city police commissioner seeking necessary directions.

Based on his directions,the police arrested Naseer and remanded him to judicial custody to keep him in the prison without bail for at least one year .

Meanwhile the Bengaluru district police conducted a rowdy parade and carried surprise checks on their houses on TUesday.

Several teams of police raided and inspected the houses of habitual offenders and escorted them to the Nelamangala ground to be produced before the Superintendent of Police,Vamshi Krishna .

The police inquired about their activities and took details of the residence and mobile numbers .

SP,Vamshi Krishna addressing the habitual offenders warned them to med their ways and abide the law or face strict action.This is the first and last warning given and henceforth anyone involved in antisocial activities will be strictly dealt with,he said .

Pramesh Jain

The Traffic movement on Goodshed road and TCM Royan road has been restricted following white topping work initiated by BBMP from Thursday.

Kamal Pant,city police commissioner while issuing orders on the traffic restriction said that  restriction of traffic movement on the above roads is in force from August 5th 2021 till the completion of the work.

According to the orders,due to white topping work roads including goodshed road,old Mysore road,market flyover from Dr.B R Ambedkar down ramp to TCM Royan road junction will be affected .

The Chickpet traffic police have made alternative arrangements for the vehicles.

Alternative routes are here :

Vehicles coming on this road to reach Majestic  can proceed on Mysore road bodybuilders junction,service road,Sirsi junction, take left turn to road connecting to JJ Nagar junction,Binny mill tank bund road,Balakaimandi junction,Binny mill circle,right turn to proceed on TCM Royan road  junction,proceed on goodshed road to reach shanthala junction to move further .

The traffic police have been instructed to put up required signages to make alternative arrangements and help the motorists to reach to their destination safely.

White topping is a new technology of providing cement concrete overlay on the existing damaged and distressed bitumen roads with a purpose either to restore or to increase the load carrying capacity, or both.