Guwahati, Nov 26 (PTI) The CBI on Friday filed a charge-sheet against Ranjit Kakoty, the prime accused in a trading scam involving Rs 260 crore and affecting around 1.5 lakh investors, before a special CBI court.

The agency, which completed its probe against Kakoty within 90 days of his arrest, said he, along with his co-conspirators, used deceptive practices through an online platform, www.tradingfx.live, to defraud investors.

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"The accused deceived investors by offering misleading documents, false promises, and fraudulent practices, ultimately misappropriating their hard-earned money for personal enrichment," the CBI said in a release.

The case, registered at Dibrugarh police station, stems from complaints that Kakoty had promised investors a threefold return on their investments within 18 months. However, after initial returns, Kakoty stopped responding to investors, leading to widespread complaints.

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This investigation is part of the larger Assam investment scam probe, which was initiated after the state government requested the CBI to probe 41 similar cases.

"The CBI conducted searches across 93 locations in five states and Union Territories, leading to the seizure of mobile phones, desktops, hard drives, and laptops," the agency added.

It also traced databases containing details of investors who had been deceived into participating in these unregulated schemes.

The CBI's probe has already led to the filing of charge-sheets against several people. Earlier, the agency filed charge-sheets against Bishal Phukan, Abhijit Chanda, Sumi Bora, and Tapon @ Tarkik Bora in connection with another case.

The charges against these accused include orchestrating an illegal deposit scheme that defrauded investors by offering guaranteed 30 per cent returns, using forged documents such as notarized stamp papers and falsified investment reports.

Furthermore, CBI has filed a charge-sheet in yet another case against Monalisa Das, who is accused of being involved in a massive financial scam operated by DB Stock Consultancy.

"The organisation, owned by Deepankar Barman along with Das and eight others, is accused of defrauding investor clients across India," the CBI release stated.

In another development, the CBI apprehended Gopal Paul, the primary accused in the AJRS Marketing Pvt. Ltd. case, from a hideout in Siliguri.

Meanwhile, the Gauhati High Court recently granted bail to five accused involved in the online trading scam, citing the failure of the CBI to file charge-sheets within the stipulated period.

"The court granted default bail to Sapnanil Das, Abhijit Chanda, Bishal Phukan, and Tapan Bora alias Tarkik Bora, while Jiten Deka was allowed interim bail on medical grounds," the CBI noted.

The four persons granted bail remain in judicial custody, as they face several other charges in ongoing investigations.

The scam, which came to light in the last week of August, involved a company owned by Deepankar Barman, who was arrested from Goa last month.

Investors complained that they had not received the returns on their investments, and Barman's office had been closed since August 21.

Over 65 people have been arrested in connection with the scam so far, and 14 Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been set up to investigate cases registered under the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

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