A Special Investigation Team in Bengaluru on Tuesday released suspended Congress MLA Roshan Baig after several hours of questioning in connection with the IMA Jewels scam, PTI reported.
Baig was detained on Monday when he was about to board a flight from Bengaluru airport. Mohammed Mansoor Khan, the main accused, has claimed that Baig was involved in the scam and had taken Rs 400 crore from him but not returned it.
Baig, who called the allegation baseless, was supposed to appear before the investigation team on Monday. When he did not, the team detained the suspended Congress leader. An unidentified police officer said Baig was questioned the entire night and released from custody around 12.30 pm on Tuesday.
Baig said he was detained due to “some confusion in the SIT”. “I wanted to fly from here to Pune last night but they were under some confusion that I am running away,” the MLA told reporters outside the SIT office. “It was deliberate. Some people played mischief but I will not blame anybody.” Baig claimed the SIT had allowed him to travel anywhere in the country.
Baig, who was suspended from the Congress for “anti-party activities” in June, is among the 16 legislators of the ruling coalition in Karnataka who have tendered their resignations from the Assembly.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had tweeted on Monday that a personal assistant of Bharatiya Janata Party state chief BS Yeddyurappa was with Baig when he was boarding the chartered flight. The chief minister alleged Santhosh, Baig’s personal assistant, ran away while Baig was detained. BJP MLA Yogeshwar was also present at the airport at the time, Kumaraswamy claimed, calling it “shameful” that the BJP allegedly helped a former minister “escape”.
The BJP, however, denied that Santhosh was travelling with Baig, and accused Kumaraswamy of “peddling fake news and misleading the state”.
Mohammed Mansoor Khan, had released a video on Monday claiming that he would return to India within 24 hours. Khan is accused of running a ponzi scheme in Karnataka that allegedly duped more than 30,000 people of Rs 5,000 crore.
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