Guwahati, Oct 27: Finally, Deepankar Barman is in police net. The 22-year-old Barman, the mastermind behind the DB Stock Consultancy scam, was caught by a police team in Goa on Sunday evening.
According to Guwahati Commissioner of Police Diganta Barah, Barman was detained by a team led by Panbazar ACP Amit Mahato.
He is expected to be brought back to Guwahati within the next day or two for further investigation.
Dipankar Barman had been on the run since early August, following the revelation of the DB Stock consultancy scam.
On September 20, Guwahati police arrested his father Chabin Barman (67) and mother Deepali Talukdar (63), from their residence at Flat No. 4C, Abhiguna Residency in Gotanagar, Guwahati. Additionally, Mukesh Agarwal (40), the chartered accountant and financial planner for DB Stock Consultancy, was detained from Nripen Bora Path in Fatasil Ambari on the same day.
These arrests are part of the ongoing investigation into the scam, which has seen authorities taking swift actions to hold all involved accountable.
A case registered under Paltan Bazar Police Station, numbered 288/2024, has been pending against Dipankar Barman.
The charges include violations under sections 316(5), 318(4), and 3(5) BNS, along with section 21 of the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019.
To locate Dipankar, who had been absconding, the city police sought assistance from central agencies and issued lookout notices to track his movements.
The DB Stock Brokers scam has severely impacted Assam, where thousands of investors were lured by a fraudulent group promising high returns through stock trading.
The scam involved operations without necessary licenses from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Despite Assam’s relatively small share of the stock market at 1.1%, this incident underscores the vulnerability to illegal financial activities even in regions with lower market participation.
Dipankar Barman is accused of defrauding investors of approximately ₹7,000 crore. He enticed them with promises of exceptional returns, but he disappeared after amassing substantial funds, which led to numerous complaints and an intensive investigation.
The scam has prompted authorities to ramp up regulatory measures to safeguard investors and strengthen confidence in the financial system.
In response to rising fraudulent activities, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating six online stock trading scams in Assam, with eight arrests already made in Dibrugarh. These individuals will be presented before the Special CBI Court on October 30.
