Guwahati: Police on Saturday arrested the parents and financial planner of an absconding suspect in a multi-crore online trading scam in Assam, according to an official statement.
The arrests relate to a case registered against DB Stock Consultancy, whose main accused, Deepankar Barman, remains at large.
The scam came to light in the last week of August when investors reported that Barman had failed to pay them their due returns and that his office had been closed since August 21.
Barman’s parents, Chabin Barman and Deepali Talukdar, along with Mukesh Agarwal, a chartered accountant and financial planner for the consultancy, were apprehended.
The parents were arrested after authorities analysed materials collected during searches at their residence, which yielded several incriminating documents. The investigation revealed that they had used funds from unregulated deposits to invest in various immovable properties and financial assets, some registered in their names.
Agarwal was arrested for his active involvement in Barman’s financial operations. As the primary financial planner, he managed bookkeeping, audits, and other financial matters for DB Stock Consultancy, the statement added.
“The Guwahati Police is tracing the flow of funds from these unregulated deposits. Notices have been issued to the family members of Deepankar Barman, requiring their appearance before the police for further questioning on Monday," the statement said.
Although Barman remains at large, his close associate, Monalisa Das, has already been arrested, and his car was recovered from central Guwahati.
Last week, the state Cabinet decided to transfer 32 cases related to the online trading scam to the CBI for investigation.
Firms, promoted mostly by youths in their 20s, allegedly raised hundreds of crores of rupees from people on the promise that they would get huge returns by investing in the stock markets. However, these firms started to fail to repay investors over the last few weeks.
Over 65 people have been arrested in connection with the scam so far, and 14 SITs set up to investigate the cases registered across districts under the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019, besides the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Among those arrested is Assamese actor, choreographer, and social media influencer Sumi Borah, along with her photographer husband, Tarkik Borah.