Assam: CBI files charge sheet against 4 accused in investment scam

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday filed charge sheets against four accused in the Dibrugarh Investment Scam Case, which is one of the 41 Assam irregular deposit scam cases handed to the agency, before the Special CBI Court at Guwahati.

The CBI filed charge sheets against accused persons Bishal Phukan, Abhijit Chanda, Sumi Bora, and Tapon @ Tarkik Bora in case RC17E2024 before the Special CBI Court, Guwahati, marking a crucial step in the ongoing investigation into the large-scale financial fraud perpetrated by them, within a period of 90 days from the arrest of the accused persons.

This is one of the 41 investment scam cases in Assam, which are being investigated by the CBI at the request of the government of Assam. The instant case was earlier registered by the police station at Dibrugarh under FIR No. 352/2024 dated September 2, 2024, against Bishal Phukan on allegations that Phukan has been engaging in a financial scam in contravention of RBI/SEBI guidelines. It was alleged that he induced individuals to enter into notarized agreements with promises of high returns on investments, depositing their money into his own Demat account, contrary to SEBI guidelines. He allegedly misappropriated the funds to live a lavish lifestyle, thereby defrauding his clients from the general public, who fell prey to his scheme.

The investigation conducted by the CBI has led to the unearthing of substantial material evidence against the four accused persons. The investigation, so far, has established that the accused were involved in orchestrating an illegal deposit scheme that solicited funds from investors under false pretences. They used deceptive means, including notarized stamp papers and falsified investment reports, to lure investors with the promise of guaranteed returns of 30%. They cheated the investors and misappropriated the deposits for their personal gains, it was stated.

Meanwhile, the bail application of Sumi Bora, one of the accused in connection with this case, was rejected by the Special Judge for CBI Cases of Guwahati on November 19, 2024, and she continues to be in judicial custody.

It may be recalled that the CBI, on the request of the Assam government, has taken over the investigation into 41 cases in Assam pertaining to allegations of deceiving investors in irregular deposit schemes, including the instant case. A massive financial scam has allegedly been orchestrated by the accused, defrauding numerous investor clients across India.

Notably, the CBI has also filed a charge sheet in one of the cases against accused Monalisa Das on November 18, 2024.

Since taking charge of the cases, the CBI has accelerated its probe, conducting fresh searches across 93 locations in five states and UTs. These searches have led to the seizure of mobile phones, desktops, hard drives, and laptops.

During the investigation, CBI has successfully traced databases containing details of depositors who were deceived into investing in these unregulated deposit schemes.

In one such case involving AJRS Marketing Pvt. Ltd., the CBI has apprehended Gopal Paul, the primary accused, who had been evading authorities since the registration of the FIR against the firm. He was located at a hideout in Siliguri, where incriminating evidence was also recovered.

It has been alleged that, since 2018, the accused persons collected substantial sums of money from several depositors by offering guaranteed high returns. In return, they provided depositors with documents executed on stamp paper of Rs 100 as proof of the transactions. However, over the past months, many depositors reported irregular payments, with several failing to receive their promised returns altogether.

The investigating agency is conducting further investigation in various cases handed over to them.

Also Read: Dibrugarh Court Extends Police Custody Of Bishal Phukan In Online Investment Scam

Also Watch: