Saradha chit fund scam: Two stock brokers arrested

NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: CBI today arrested two stock brokers for allegedly being involved in misappropriation of funds of scam-hit Artha Tatwa (AT) group, a case which is a fallout of Saradha chit fund scam.

Deepak Pareekh was questioned last evening and was arrested today in Odhisa by the sleuths of Special Investigation Team ( SIT) formed by the CBI to probe the entire Saradha scam on directions of the Supreme Court, agency sources said.

Pareekh has also allegedly obtained licence from SEBI and MCX for the AT Group. His house was searched by the CBI in August this year. At the instruction of Pareekh, AT group established Artha Tatwa Capital Limited (ATCL) which was enlisted at the Mumbai Stock Exchange.

The ATCL was classified as Indian Non-Government Company and is registered at Registrar of Companies, Cuttack. Its authorised share capital was Rs. 20,000,000 and its paid up capital is Rs 20,000,000.

Pareekh used to invest AT Group's money in the stock market and is alleged to have made investment of behalf of several influential persons from the state.

The other stock broker arrested by the CBI was Dharmendra Bothra for his alleged links with the AT Group financial fraud, the sources said.

Bothra was earlier questioned by the CBI on his land deal with a BJD MLA and a BJD strongman's son. The politician had bought a plot in Jaydev Vihar area in the state capital in 2003, but had later sold it off to Bothra.