Deepankar Barman, prime suspect in Assam trade scam, arrested in Goa after three months of absconding

Assam Police on Sunday arrested Deepankar Barman, the prime suspect in an online trading scam case, in Goa’s capital Panaji. Barman, the founder of Guwahati-based DB Stock Broking, allegedly defrauded thousands of investors to the tune of Rs 7,000 crore.

An Assam Police team recovered Rs 27 lakh in cash from Barman’s residence in Goa during the raid. The multi-crore online trading scam in the state had come to light in the last week of August when investors, who had invested huge amounts of money in 29-year-old Barman’s company, complained that he had not paid them the due returns. and his office was closed.

“Finally Dipankar Burman is arrested in Goa. The run ends. Congratulations Team @GuwahatiPol,” tweeted Assam Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh.

Barman is likely to appear before a court in Goa on Monday and be taken to Guwahati on judicial custody, another police officer said.

“A total of Rs 27,06,750 cash has been seized from Dipankar Burman’s house in Goa,” the DGP said in another X post.

Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Barah said a team led by ACP Amit Mahato made the arrest.

While more than 65 people were arrested, including those allegedly committing similar scams, Barman has been on the run for the past three months. 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. Bartender’s assistant Monalisa Das, also an actor, was arrested earlier.

The Assam government had transferred the investigation into the CBI in 41 cases registered in connection with the scam.

Several companies, mainly promoted by men and women in their 20s, are said to have raised hundreds of millions of rupees from people across the state on the promise of earning huge returns by investing in the stock markets. However, as these companies failed to pay back their investors, the scam came to light.

(with inputs from Ritesh Desai in Goa and PTI)