Assam CBI Files Charge Sheet in Online Trading Scam - Rs 260 Crore Swindled

New Delhi, Nov 29 (PTI) The CBI has filed a charge sheet against Ranjit Kakoty of tradingfx for alleged swindling of Rs 260 crore belonging to 1.5 lakh investors in one of the 41 cases pertaining to online trading scams in Assam, officials said Friday.

Kakoty, who is under judicial custody, allegedly deceived investors through misleading plan documents, false promises, and other fraudulent practices to misappropriate their hard-earned money for personal enrichment, the agency said.

"The CBI used advanced forensic tools to identify the majority of the investors who were victims of the fraudulent scheme perpetrated by the accused through the online platform www.tradingfx.live," the agency said in a statement.

This is one of the 41 Assam investment scam cases being investigated by the CBI on the request of the state government, it said.

Kakoty was earlier booked by the Dibrugarh police regarding allegations that he and his associates had promised a three-fold return to gullible investors within a period of 18 months of their investments under TradingFX, they said.

He later stopped returning the promised funds and became unresponsive, the FIR alleged.

"Since taking over investigation of the Assam Investment Scam cases, the CBI has accelerated its probe, conducting fresh searches across 93 locations in five states/UT. These searches have led to the seizure of mobile phones, desktops, hard drives, and laptops. During the investigation, the CBI has successfully traced databases containing details of depositors who were deceived into investing in these unregulated deposit schemes," the CBI said in the statement.

The CBI had also filed a charge sheet in another case of online trading scam from Dibrugarh on Thursday against Bishal Phukan, Abhijit Chanda, actor Sumi Bora, and Tapon alias Tarkik Bora, the officials said.

It is alleged that the accused were involved in orchestrating an illegal deposit scheme that solicited funds from investors under false pretence.

"They used deceptive means, including notarised stamp papers and falsified investment reports, to lure investors with the promise of guaranteed 30 per cent returns. They cheated the investors and misappropriated the deposits for their personal gains," the agency said in a statement.