The prime accused of Assam's multi-crore online trading scam was arrested by the state Police from Goa on Sunday. Accused Deepankar Barman has been absconding since August and has been successful in evading arrest since the reports of a huge trading scam conducted by his company, DB Stock Limited, surfaced.
"Finally, Dipankar Burman was arrested at Goa. The run ends. Congratulations Team @GuwahatiPol," Assam Director General Of Police (DGP) GP Singh posted on X.
Assam Police have also seized cash and gold from the possession of 29-year-old Barman. According to police, following Burman's arrest, cash worth more than Rs 27 lakh was seized from his temporary residence in Goa along with some gold ornaments.
The multi-crore online trading scam in the state had come to light during the last week of August when investors, who had put in huge amounts of money in Barman's company, complained that he had not paid them the due returns and his office had been closed.
Guwahati's Police Commissioner Diganta Barah said a team led by ACP Amit Mahato made the arrest. Barman is likely to be produced before a court in Goa on Monday and brought to Guwahati on transit remand, another police officer said.
While over 65 people, including those allegedly running similar scams, were arrested, Barman was at large. His parents were also arrested in connection with the case. Assamese actor Sumi Borah and her photographer husband Tarkik Borah were among those arrested in the scam.
The state government had handed over the investigation in 41 cases registered in connection with the scam to the CBI. Several firms, promoted mostly by men and women in their 20s, allegedly raised hundreds of crores of rupees from people across the state with the promise that they would get huge returns by investing in the stock markets. However, as these firms failed to repay their investors, the scam came to light.