Guwahati: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Pushpajit Purkayastha and Sandeep Gupta in Guwahati, Assam, after their involvement in the multi-state M/s DB Stock Consultancy scam came to light during investigations. This scam was orchestrated in Guwahati by one Deepankar Barman, who is now in judicial custody.
“Purkayastha, the former branch manager of Axis Bank’s Rehabari Branch in Guwahati, was found to have colluded with DB Stock Consultancy to solicit deposits from the public with false promises of high returns. The investigation revealed that he, in conspiracy with mastermind Deepankar Barman, lured bank customers and other investors to invest in the scheme with the misleading promises of handsome and guaranteed returns. He made huge illegal gains in the form of commission, for bringing innocent investors into the fold of the fraudulent scheme. Purkayastha managed clients and investors based in Mumbai and Guwahati, abusing his position to facilitate these fraudulent activities,” a CBI official claimed.
Gupta, meanwhile, was the main agent and aggregator for DB Stock Consultancy. He was found to have conspired with Barman and other accomplices to operate DB Stock, an illegal deposit scheme. He handled clients and investors from Dibrugarh, referring over 350 customers and soliciting funds from them with false promises of high returns. The investigation revealed that he earned lakhs of rupees as commission from DB Stock Consultancy for the referrals and deposits collected through his network.
“The CBI has already filed a chargesheet against Barman, along with his fiancée Monalisha Das – arrested in 2024, his parents Chabin Barman and Deepali Barman, and Mukesh Agarwal, a chartered accountant. Barman, owner of DB Stock is accused of cheating and defrauding over 10,000 people, from across the country, of more than Rs 400 crore, by luring them to invest in a fraudulent unregulated deposit scheme with false assurances of fixed high returns and subsequently defaulting on these deposits,” the official said.
