Actress and influencer Sumi Borah and her husband arrested for alleged involvement in online trading scam

The police detained actor-choreographer-influencer Sumi Borah, aged 29, and her photographer husband Tarkik Borah for their alleged involvement in an online stock trading scam estimated to be worth at least ₹2,200 crore (around £200,404).

The scam, which is reported to have been in operation for almost three years, entailed investing the money collected from clients in fake shares of companies - with the untrue promise of almost double the return in 60 days.

The Assam police’s Special Task Force (STF) detained the couple earlier today, (Thursday September 11), 10 days after a “lookout” notice was issued against the couple, and also the actor’s brother and her sister-in-law. The notice had been issued for the four after they failed to appear before the police following a notice issued to them in the wake of the arrest of the prime accused, 22-year-old Bishal Phukan.

“The game is up for them. Compliments to the Team STF,” Assam’s Director General of Police, Gyanendra Pratap Singh posted on X. It is thought that the extent of the Sumi and Tarkik’s alleged involvement in the scam was discovered after Amlan’s arrest.

The scam was originally uncovered earlier in September with the arrest of Phukan, the alleged mastermind who reportedly defrauded more than 1,500 people. Some investors claimed they took loans from banks to invest. The online traders initially returned the small invested amounts, along with 30 to 50% interest, but this stopped after clients, who were reassured by their supposed profits, began investing larger sums.

Phukan told police that he spent the money obtained on a destination wedding, foreign trips, and gifts for Sumi. Sumi had claimed that she would ''surrender and fully cooperate with the police” in a video message shared to a few television channels, according to local media, but it’s unclear if she had actually surrended when she was arrested.

Police superintendent VV Rakesh Reddy said STF handed Sumi and her husband to them. “We will have to interrogate them for more details on their involvement and other aspects. We will inform you more later,” she said.