HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Sept 5: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday reaffirmed that everyone implicated in the Rs 2,200 crore internet trade scam will face appropriate consequences from the law enforcement and government, with no one being left unpunished.
“A number of fraudsters had embezzled people’s money through illicit techniques. This is completely intolerable. Those who have amassed public funds without the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) consent would be subject to legal action. The inquiry has been proceeding according to protocol. At least 38 persons have been arrested by police so far in relation to their participation in the multi-crore online trading scam,” Sarma told reporters in Dibrugarh.
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Meanwhile, the chief minister earlier had warned citizens not to fall in the hands of fraudsters who promise to give exceptionally higher returns by investing money in online trading.
“I want to appeal to citizens that they should not fall into the hands of fraudsters. Nobody on this earth can give anybody 25 or 30 percent through trading”, he said.
Sarma also mentioned that the fraudsters who duped public money were living a grand lifestyle.
“I hope that the general public have seen in TV footage that the fraudsters lived a king size life with public money. I urge every citizen that your hard-earned money should be wasted behind those fraudsters,” he stated.
To recall, the Assam Police uncovered a large financial scam involving brokers who made false online stock market investments by promising to double people’s money, totalling Rs 2,200 crore.
In connection with the crime, the police arrested two prime accused: Guwahati resident Swapnil Das and Dibrugarh resident Vishal Phukan, a 22-year-old internet trader. But in the alleged state-wide scheme, several more arrests have occurred and some more people are anticipated to be arrested soon.
According to the police, Phukan used his lavish lifestyle to entice people and assured his investors of a 30% return on their money within 60 days. In addition to investing in Assamese cinema, he had established four fictitious businesses and bought other houses.
The police conducted a raid at his residence in Dibrugarh and seized documents linked to the multi-crore scam.
Meanwhile, police have been looking for Assamese choreographer and actress Sumi Borah, who is also reportedly connected to Phukan’s network. It has been alleged that Phukan spent crores of rupees in Sumi Borah’s wedding in Rajasthan’s Udaipur.
