Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP) 

Bengaluru, Jul 19: Umar Shariff (42), a social activist who owns Al Basheer International School at Bannerghatta Road was arrested by the special investigation team that is investigating I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam running into over a thousand crore rupees. 

42-year-old Shariff was reportedly arrested on Thursday July 18. 

Sources stated that Shariff was actively supporting and promoting IMA and its founder, Mohammed Mansoor Khan, who was operating a number of businesses. Mansoor, who had fled the country after pressure of customers to refund investments and disburse high interest promised by him mounted, reportedly has come back into the country. Shariff was rewarded by Khan to the extent of Rs 60 lac in cash and a van worth Rs 15 lac. It is said that under Shariff's advice, a large number of people had invested in schemes run by IMA over the last several years. 

On producing him in the court, Shariff was given to the custody of the SIT till July 22 for further probe. 

A video uploaded in Shariff''s Facebook account and YouTube support Khan. "Initially I did not have trust on IMA but after series of discussions with Mansoor Khan, I came to know more about his business and my trust for him grew. He has been distributing returns to investors since the last 12 years. Non-payment of returns over a three-month period need not e a cause for concern. I request you not to curse Mansoor Khan as he is our own man and has done nothing wrong," he can be seen telling the investors in this one-hour video. 

During the last week, the special investigation team had arrested Haneef Afsar Azees, a moulvi of Bepari mosque on OPH Road, Shivajinagar here. The team found out that Mansoor had rewarded Afsar by way of a residential apartment at HBR Layout worth three crore rupees in exchange for convincing investors to do business with IMA through the moulvi's preaching sessions.