Who Were Arrested by ED in Bengal Over Fake Financial Schemes?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- ED arrests two individuals linked to a fraudulent financial scheme in West Bengal.
- LFS Broking Private Limited is identified as the fake financial entity.
- Numerous incriminating documents were seized during the raids.
- Investor suicides raised alarms about the fraudulent activities.
- SEBI has canceled the entity's operations and imposed penalties on its managing director.
Kolkata, May 23 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has apprehended two individuals from different districts in West Bengal in relation to a case where investors fell victim to fraudulent investment schemes orchestrated by a counterfeit financial organization.
The arrests occurred late Thursday night following extensive raids and search operations at five locations across the two districts, commencing early in the day. All sites were associated with the aforementioned financial entity, known as LFS Broking Private Limited.
The suspects have been named as Dilip Maiti and Md Anarul Islam. Maiti was taken into custody from his combined residence and office in Arambagh, located in the Hooghly district, while Islam was apprehended in Bolpur, within the Birbhum district.
According to sources, during the exhaustive raids, investigators confiscated numerous incriminating documents from these five sites, particularly from the residences and offices of the arrested individuals.
Currently, both suspects are undergoing interrogation to extract further information. Reports indicate that Maiti is one of the directors, while the other suspect holds a senior position within the entity.
The organization’s portrayal as a share brokerage firm was merely a cover; in truth, they engaged in promoting unauthorized and fraudulent financial investments, particularly in rural areas of West Bengal, and defrauded numerous investors out of substantial sums.
Concerns regarding the fraudulent investment schemes emerged after several investors took their own lives upon losing all their savings, including one incident that occurred at the entity’s office.
It is noteworthy that last June, the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) announced the cancellation of this financial entity’s operations. SEBI also prohibited its managing director, Ziaur Rahaman, who is currently imprisoned, from any employment or association with registered intermediaries for a period of five years.
On paper, aside from functioning as a share brokerage firm, the entity also claimed involvement in various other services, such as portfolio management and depository participation, among others.