New Delhi: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has taken serious note of a newspaper advertisement promoting ‘dabba trading’, and issued a notice to the Hindi national daily that carried the ad 13 July.
Dabba trading refers to illegal and unregulated off-market trading that operates outside the purview of recognised stock exchanges and under regulatory oversight. These activities pose significant risks to investors, and violate provisions of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act (SCRA),1956; the SEBI Act, 1992; and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
In a statement, the SEBI said Monday it has taken steps jointly with the National Stock Exchange (NSE), including issuing a formal communication to the newspaper, expressing concern over the publication of the advertisement that potentially misled investors and encouraged unlawful trading practices.
Further, the SEBI has also filed a complaint with the cyber police, seeking legal action against the entities involved.
The NSE has also issued an investor caution to alert the public about this instance and the entities involved in it and also warning people about the dangers of dabba trading. The caution informed people that investors should only trade through SEBI-registered brokers and on recognized stock exchanges.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has also been informed about the matter in order to assess such violations of advertising standards and to ensure appropriate corrective steps.
ThePrint had earlier reported that the Enforcement Directorate has taken note of “surrogate ads” for illegal betting platforms on some leading newspapers. These ads, purporting to promote sports merchandise brands, would carry with them a QR code. Scanning these codes would take people to betting platforms. These ads are often promoted by celebrities.
When the ED asked media platforms hosting these ads, they informed the agency about a Switzerland-based company. Just in the first three months of this year, more than 1.6 billion visits have been recorded on these betting platforms.
Earlier this month, the ED raided several locations in Mumbai in a dabba trading and online betting case, seizing multiple luxury cards, Rs 3 crore in cash and jewellery.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)