The man has alleged the involvement of senior Congress legislator Roshan Baig (File)
An audio clip of a man threatening to commit suicide has triggered panic among investors in Bengaluru. The man purportedly is Mansoor Khan, the owner of one of the city's largest firms, IMA Jewels, where thousands have invested money.
In the audio clip that has been widely circulated, the man talks of officials accepting bribes of upto Rs 400 crore and alleges the involvement of senior Congress legislator Roshan Baig.
Roshan Baig, who was recently in the news for his strong and public criticism of senior Congress leaders, has said he was not part of the firm and that he would be taking legal action.
People are now claiming they have been cheated by the firm, which had promised good returns.
Since morning, anxious investors started gathering at the Shivajinagar showroom of IMA Jewels.
Many said the suicide threat was fake and that Mansoor Khan was trying to escape.
A case has been registered against him and investigations are on.
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said the case has been handed over to the Central Crime Branch and he has spoken to the state home minister on the issue. The matter is being taken very seriously and action would be taken against the guilty, he said.
The opposition BJP used the opportunity to hit out at the Congress-HD Kumaraswamy alliance. The party tweeted a picture of the Chief Minister with Mansoor Khan. The accompanying post read: "Good to know you have known this fraud for a long time. Should help you catch him soon. Your job is to catch the fraudster & not cry victim on twitter. Get your priorities right".
The Chief Minister responded: "It's sad that @BJP4Karnataka stoops low again to misguide and demean by using an old picture out of context. This has always been the BJP troll strategy. #IMAfraud is a serious issue and the culprits will be punished."