IMA scam: SIT detains K’taka Congress MLA Roshan Baig at Bengaluru airport

Crime

Roshan Baig was allegedly being ushered into the aircraft by BJP State President BS Yeddyurappa's PA NR Santosh when the SIT nabbed him.

TNM Staff

The Special Investigation Team probing the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam detained Shivajinagar MLA Roshan Baig on Monday whilst he was trying to leave the city and was allegedly on his way to Mumbai. According to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Roshan Baig was being ushered into a private chartered aircraft on Monday evening when sleuths nabbed him at Kempegowda International Airport.  Roshan Baig was allegedly being ushered into the aircraft by BJP State President BS Yeddyurappa's PA NR Santosh when the SIT nabbed him.  "Baig was detained for questioning at the Kempegowda International Airport when he was about to take off in a private aircraft to an unconfirmed destination from Bengaluru," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) BR Ravikantha Gowda said in a statement on late Monday night Today SIT probing the #IMA case detained @rroshanbaig for questioning at the BIAL airport while he was trying leave along with @BSYBJP's PA Santosh on a chartered flight to Mumbai. I was told that on seeing the SIT, Santhosh ran away while the team apprehended Mr. Baig. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/MmyH4CyVfP — H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) July 15, 2019 The investigation team had granted Roshan Baig time till July 19 to appear before them for questioning. However, SIT sources told TNM that Roshan Baig had sent a letter to the investigators stating that he would not be able to appear for questioning until July 25 and sought more time.  SIT officials suspected that Baig would abscond if given the opportunity, and hence decided to detain him.  Calling Baig's alleged attempt to flee an attempt by the BJP to destabilise the coalition government by indulging in horse-trading, the Chief Minister said, "BJP MLA Yogeshwar was present at the time there (at the time of Baig's detainment). It’s a shame that BJP is helping a former minister escape, who is facing a probe in the IMA case. This clearly shows BJP's direct involvement in destabilizing the govt through horse-trading.”  Kumaraswamy also alleged that NR Santosh fled the spot when the SIT arrived at the airport to detain Roshan Baig.  In June, Roshan Baig was suspended by the Congress for anti-party activities. Prior to his suspension from the party, Roshan Baig had blamed former CM Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Congress national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, KC Venugopal, for the alleged failure of the coalition government.  Soon after his statement, his name surfaced in the IMA Scam in the audio clips left behind by one of IMA’s founders, Mohammed Mansoor Khan, when he absconded.  Soon after the news of the scam broke out, Revenue Minister RV Deshpande stated that Roshan Baig had requested officials from the Revenue Department to grant Mansoor Khan a no-objection certificate for a Rs 600 crore bailout. However, Deshpande had stated that the revenue officials had not complied with the demand.  Contrary to Deshpande's claims, earlier this month, the SIT arrested the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district Vijaya Shankar, the Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) LC Nagaraj and an executive engineer with the Bangalore Development Authority, PD Kumar Nayak, for allegedly accepting crores of rupees as bribe to write a favourable report for IMA in an RBI inquiry.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2lqI8Th
via IFTTT

Some providers fear 'brave new world' of freed patient health data

from Health Care https://ift.tt/2XKXi8j
via IFTTT

'Will return to India in 24 hrs’: Absconding IMA founder Mansoor Khan in new video

Crime

Mansoor Khan claimed that he will give authorities a list of assets of the company, which can be sold to return the investors’ money.

TNM Staff

I will be coming to India in 24 hours, on my will. I have full faith in the Indian judiciary," More than a month after he went absconding, IMA Jewels Founder and Managing Director Mansoor Khan has released yet another video. This time, he has claimed that he will return to India in the next 24 hours. If indeed the man accused of swindling thousands and has deep political connections, comes back to the state at the time of the political crisis, it will have serious repercussions. Mansoor is the prime accused in the multi-crore ‘halal’ ponzi scam, wherein he has been accused of cheating 40,000 investors to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore. The video, which has been published on Monday on the IMA’s Youtube channel, is being widely shared on WhatsApp and other social media channels. In the seven-minute video, Mansoor claimed that the investors’ money could be recovered by selling the assets of the company. He also claimed that he was returning for the sake of the investors and urged the investors to “keep their abuses and violence to themselves”.  “I have been trying to return to Bengaluru. I have been unwell and been on bed rest for one month because of my cardiac and diabetic condition. Today, I can make this video as my palpitation is under control. But I promised that I will return as soon as possible. I have a diabetic condition and also heart blockage. I have to undergo an immediate operation as I have three blocks in my heart, and I don’t have enough money. Since I could not afford to get proper treatment, I will be coming to India in 24 hours, on my will. I have full faith in the Indian judiciary,” he said in the video. Mansoor has been accused of running a Ponzi scheme – where the money is rotated from new investors to older investors – in the name of I Monetary Advisory (IMA). He fled India around June 13, when the scam surfaced, and investigators believe he is in hiding in Dubai.  Like the previous video, Mansoor, while admitting to fleeing the country, claims he was under a lot of pressure from politicians and anti-social elements. “I don’t know where my family is I have no source of contacting them,” he said.  He has also said that he has a “list” on how he can return the investors’ money.  “I will give the documents to the Department. If we liquidate the assets, we can return the money to many clients. I am coming there for all the investors... Please trust me,” he said, adding that he has already arranged for the flight tickets.  Meanwhile, sources of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the scam, said that they have tracked Mansoor Khan's movements in the last few days. "We can't reveal the plan of action yet. We will be able to give more information once he is apprehended," an SIT source told TNM. Till day, SIT has arrested 19 people, including IAS officer and former Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner Vijay Shankar (IAS), Assistant Commissioner of the Revenue Department LC Nagaraj, BDA Executive Engineer Kumar, city corporator Syed Mujahid, one religious preacher and village accountant Manjunath. Others include the 12 directors of IMA.  Incidentally, Congress rebel MLA Roshan Baig, who was named by Mansoor Khan in his first video, skipped a summon by the SIT. Roshan Baig recently quit as MLA and is one of the MLAs rebelling against the Congress.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2XZr4Wl
via IFTTT

Biden unveils health care plan: Affordable Care Act 2.0

from Health Care https://ift.tt/2xLi2NF
via IFTTT

3 found dead in temple premises in Anantapur, human sacrifice suspected

While the dead bodies were found right outside the temple, blood was splattered over the Shivalingam inside the temple, police sources said.

Charan Teja

In an incident of suspected human sacrifice and black magic, three people were found dead in the premises of a temple in Korthikota of Tanakal in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The three people – Shivarami Reddy who was looking after the temple, his sister Kamalamma, and another woman from the same village, Sathyalakshmi – were found with their throats slit in the under construction temple.  On Monday morning, the local police found three dead bodies in the Shivalayam which is under construction, as the old temple in the village was demolished sometime back.  Of the three victims, two were found lying on a cot, and on the ground, in a pool of blood. A  devotee who came to the temple in the morning found the dead bodies and informed the police.  While the dead bodies were found right outside the temple, their blood was splattered over the Shivalingam inside the temple.  Speaking to TNM, Kadiri Rural Circle Inspector Madhu said they’re also investigating whether the crime scene was arranged in such a way to throw off the probe. “We suspect that someone deliberately tried to influence the investigation by doing some suspicious things after the murders,” he said.  Police suspect the three people were killed with sharp objects. A murder case has been registered and investigation is underway. Kadiri DySP Srinivasulu said, “Unidentified persons have killed Shivarami Reddy by causing heavy injuries on his head, as per preliminary investigation. We have roped in the dog squad and clues teams, we will use all the clues to investigate the case from all possible angles." An investigating officer also told TNM that they're looking into a “treasure hunt” angle given the abnormality of the crime scene. In a similar case, a headless body was found in Nallamala forests of Kurnool district earlier this week raising suspicions about human sacrifice.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2SdqDlI
via IFTTT

Stopped for singing in Malayalam? Hip-hop band protests shoddy treatment in B'luru pub

Intolerance

Foxtrot in Marthahalli, Bengaluru, turned off the microphone during the performance of Street Academics, when three customers objected to the band singing Malayalam songs.

Cris

In the middle of a song that the hip-hop band Street Academics from Kerala was performing in Bengaluru, the microphone was turned off.  Members of the alternative band did not immediately understand what was going on. They had performed many times in Bengaluru before, but there had never been a problem. Even on this day – July 13 – they could see the crowd singing or moving along, enjoying their bilingual rap in Malayalam and English. They finished the song they were singing without the microphone until someone from Foxtrot, Marthahalli, the venue they performed at, came to call them offstage. For the first time since the band was formed in 1999, it was asked to stop performing, apparently because three people in the audience did not want to hear Malayalam songs. “We got the gig through 4/4 Experiences (music promoters) and Azadi Records and we had listed as a bilingual band. Mumbai-based band Swadesi was performing and so were we that evening. We did not understand why someone suddenly turned off the microphone without alerting us. Then Prasad from 4/4 who brought us the gig came to meet us. Together we went to see the people of Foxtrot, where we saw three drunk customers who were saying they didn’t want Malayalam sung in the pub. Foxtrot told us that they stopped the gig for our security and that of the rest of the audience. If it was a case of security threat, they should have asked those three drunk people to go out, not us. It showed zero respect for the artists,” says Amjad Nadeem aka Azuran, rapper and vocalist of Street Academics. The band includes four other rappers – Rjv Ernesto, Dr Haris Saleem, Abhimanyu Raman and Arjun, and music producer Vivek Radhakrishnan. The hassle did not end with the end of their performance. Later, when Amjad and a few of his friends were offstage, they were taken away by the police. “They said it was for causing public nuisance. But those three drunk men were not taken. From the story I heard later, those three men had repeatedly asked that we sing only in English and when our promoters said it couldn’t be done, they began threatening to throw us out,” Amjad said. Foxtrot has put out a statement on its Facebook page, acknowledging the incident. “The team at Foxtrot acknowledges the incident last night that arose as some guests responded in an unexpected manner. We respect the artists and their work and have programmed multi-lingual acts ever since we ventured in to live performances; however to de-escalate the issue, safeguard our guests, artists and staff and to avoid a security lapse, we took necessary decisions to pause the show briefly. We officially apologise to Street Academics, 4/4 Experiences and Azadi Records for the unfortunate experience and would like to reinstate that we are all for great music, but need to take certain calls to ensure people’s safety. We were only de-escalating the situation, and always do stand by the artist community and music of all kind.” 4/4 has also put out a post about the incident, stating that the performance of Street Academics was stopped by the Foxtrot Management and a group of customers since the songs were in Malayalam. After explaining the exchange between Ravi Kant, the floor manager at Foxtrot and Prasad, they expressed their protest: “We strongly protest against Mr Kant and the Foxtrot management’s behaviour and the lack of respect and support shown by them towards the artists. We would also like to highlight our stand against the atmosphere of intolerance that is targeting artists from different regions and would like to express our concern about the ease with which a small group of people can interrupt a show and get an artist silenced in the absence of support from venues and their management teams. We would also like to apologise to our fans and Street Academics in particular for this incident.”

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2lkztSh
via IFTTT

Trust vote to be held in Karnataka assembly at 11am on Thursday: Siddaramaiah

Politics

The numbers are stacked up against the ruling coalition with BJP leading with a 107.

Theja Ram

A trust vote will be held this week on the floor of the Karnataka assembly and will perhaps put an end to the current political crisis. The trust vote will be held at 11am on Thursday, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed to TNM. This after Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar announced that a vote of confidence for Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy will take place only after Tuesday when the apex court is expected to arrive at a conclusion.  The apex court had ordered status quo be maintained till Tuesday regarding the resignations and disqualifications of the 10 dissident MLAs who had approached the court. Both the Chief Minister and the Opposition had met the Speaker ahead of the day’s proceedings asking the Speaker to set a time for a vote of confidence or a trust vote respectively in light of the current crisis. Meanwhile, with no signs of reconciliation, five more dissident MLAs of the ruling coalition in Karnataka approached the Supreme Court on Monday urging the top court to direct the Speaker to accept their resignations expeditiously. The new five MLAs - Munirathna Naidu (RR Nagar), Roshan Baig (Shivajinagar), MTB Nagaraj (Hoskote), K Sudhakar (Chikkaballapura) and Anand Singh (Vijayanagara). The 10 other MLAs are  Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Byrathi Basavaraj (KR Puram), ST Somashekhar (Yeshwanthpura), BC Patil (Hirekerur), Shivaram Hebbar (Yellapur), Prathapgouda Patil (Maski), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani), K Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout), AH Vishwanath (Hunasuru) and Narayana Gowda (Krishanarajapete).  In their petitions, the MLAs argued that since their resignations were submitted in person, there was no further need for the Speaker to assess whether it was voluntary. The Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi allowed their petition to be heard along the petitions filed by 10 other rebel MLAs on Tuesday. The dissident MLAs claimed that Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar was acting in a biased manner. However, the bench led by CJI will also hear a petition filed by Karnataka Youth Congress Secretary Anil Chacko Joseph and others who also approached the top court pleading to intervene in the ongoing case claiming that the resignation of these 10 rebel MLAs was to be treated as defections.  Till, Monday afternoon there have been no signs of reconciliation between the rebels and their parties with those holed up in the Mumbai hotel writing to Mumbai police seeking security in the light of rumours suggesting top leaders of the Congress party may pay them a visit. The numbers are stacked up against the ruling coalition with BJP leading with a 107, and the coalition stuck at 101.  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2XKMtD2
via IFTTT