Guwahati, Oct 28 (PTI) Deepankar Barman, who was arrested in Goa for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore online trading scam in Assam, will be brought here after completing legal formalities, a top police officer said on Monday.
Barman, the prime accused in the case, is scheduled to be presented before a local court in the western state for transit remand.
He was arrested from Pernem police station area in north Goa on Sunday evening.
Addressing a press conference, Guwahati police commissioner Diganta Barah said the first case against Barman was registered at Paltan Bazaar police station on August 22, but he had fled the city by August 18 when media reports had appeared on his firm’s fraudulent activities.
The multi-crore online trading scam in the state had come to light in August when investors, who had put in huge amounts of money in 29-year-old Barman’s company, complained that he had not paid them the due returns and his office had been closed.
Most of the cases registered in connection with the scam, including the one concerning Barman, have been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Barah said though Guwahati Police couldn’t trace Barman till the time the case was under its investigation, they still continued with their technical anaylsis, which led them to Goa.
“Our team was stationed in Goa for two weeks. We had some information, like how he transferred money from here to Goa. We coordinated with Goa Police’s crime branch and also developed some sources there,” he said.
Credible information on Barman’s location was received on Saturday and a four-member team, led by an additional commissioner of police, left for the western state on Sunday morning.
“As the original case registered against Barman was transferred to CBI, we registered a new case at Paltan Bazaar police station on Saturday and pursued him under it,” the CP said.
“He was staying in a home-stay at an isolated location. While searching his room, our team recovered more than Rs 27 lakh in cash, his passport and the gold jewellery he was wearing,” Barah said.
Since the arrest was made in a different state, legal formalities have to be completed before bringing him, he said.
“Barman is being produced at Pernem court today with request for transit remand. Depending on the court order and availability of transportation options, he will be brought to Guwahati,” the police officer said.
He said “not much spot interrogation” has been done and thorough questioning will be done once the accused is brought here.
“Since there are cases registered against Barman’s firm in different states and with the CBI also, other agencies will also get his custody later. We cannot divulge more details now,” the CP added.
While over 65 people, including those allegedly running similar scams, were arrested, Barman was at large. 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.
The state government had handed over the investigation in 41 cases registered in connection with the scam to the CBI.
Several firms, promoted mostly by men and women in their 20s, allegedly raised hundreds of crores of rupees from people across the state with the promise that they would get huge returns by investing in the stock markets.
When these firms failed to repay their investors, the scam came to light. PTI SSG SSG MNB
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