Rebel Congress legislator Roshan Baig was detained at the Bengaluru airport on Monday night for questioning in an alleged connection with the multi-crore IMA fraud case.
Baig was detained at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) while he was trying to leave for Mumbai on a chartered flight along with BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa’s personal assistant, Santhosh.
Baig, an eight-time legislator and former minister in the previous Congress government, resigned on July 10 from the Shivajinagar assembly segment in the city centre.
“We will verify if Baig’s sudden plan to leave Bengaluru has anything to do with the recent release of a video in Youtube by the multi-crore Ponzi scheme prime accused Mansoor Ali Khan,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) BR Ravikantha Gowda said in a statement.
Gowda heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the Ponzi scheme in which about thousands of investors were allegedly cheated.
Commenting on the development, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy tweeted: “… I was told that on seeing the SIT, Santhosh ran away while the team apprehended Mr Baig”.
Lashing out at the BJP, the CM further accused the party of helping a former minister escape, who is facing a probe in the IMA fraud case.
BJP’s Yogeshwar was present at the time there.Its a shame that @BJP4Karnataka 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.2/2@INCIndia @INCKarnataka
— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) July 16, 2019
Meanwhile, the Karnataka unit of BJP accused Kumaraswamy of using the state machinery to save his Congress-JD(S) coalition government which is teetering on the verge of collapse.
CM @hd_kumaraswamy is using the state machinery to save his govt now. Mr. Roshan Baig was given time till 19th July to appear before SIT. This shows how the state Govt is blackmailing and treating their own MLAs’ using the institutions. pic.twitter.com/m3u09OFRkD
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) July 15, 2019
The party also denied claims that Yeddyurappa’s personal assistant was travelling with Roshan Baig.
It is false that @BSYBJP’s PA Santhosh was travelling along with Mr. Baig.
CM is peddling fake news & misleading the state. It was only Mr. Baig who was travelling & their was no 2nd passenger.
We demand to check boarding passes & CCTV footage to put out the facts.
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) July 15, 2019
Meanwhile, Baig’s advocate has filed a petition in the High Court questioning the detention of his client in connection with IMA case.
The Congress had suspended Roshan Baig on June 19 for “anti-party activities”. He later on July 9 resigned from the party.
Earlier in May, the Karnataka Congress had sent a notice to Roshan Baig over his statements on AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former CM Siddaramaiah.