ED attaches Rs 13.41 crore assets in Assam ponzi scam

Guwahati, March 24 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Guwahati Zonal Office, has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 13.41 crore in connection with a major ponzi scam involving M/s DB Stock Consultancy and its proprietor Deepankar Barman, officials said on Tuesday.

The operation was carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following an ongoing probe into alleged cheating of investors through unregulated deposit schemes.

According to the ED, the attached assets include immovable properties worth around Rs 8.71 crore, comprising 13 properties such as flats, land, and office spaces located in Guwahati, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam.

Additionally, movable assets worth nearly Rs 4.7 crore have been attached, including 27 bank accounts holding Rs 4.03 crore, and mutual fund and equity investments valued at about Rs 66.45 lakh.

The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered at Paltan Bazar Police Station in Guwahati, which was later taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The case pertains to offences under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019.

Investigations revealed that DB Stock Consultancy operated an unregulated deposit scheme between 2021 and August 2024, luring investors with promises of unusually high returns ranging from 1.25 per cent weekly to as high as 120 per cent annually.

Officials said the firm mobilised deposits from nearly 15,500 investors across India, collecting around Rs 400.14 crore through aggressive promotion via seminars, social media platforms, and referral networks.

“The entity operated a classic ponzi scheme, where funds collected from new investors were used to pay returns to earlier investors. It had no legitimate business model to sustain such returns,” an ED official said.

The accused, Deepankar Barman, allegedly absconded after the scheme collapsed but was later arrested by the Assam Police and the CBI.

Further investigation in the case is currently underway, the central agency added.

–IANS

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