Mainao Brahma, a woman from Assam’s Baksa district, was arrested at Guwahati airport on Thursday morning for allegedly amassing nearly Rs100 crore through a fraudulent trading scheme.
Sources indicate that Brahma had been hiding in New Delhi after the scam came to light, and she was apprehended upon her arrival in Guwahati based on a directive from Borjhar Officer-in-Charge Sanjeev Handique.
The scam emerged after numerous victims filed complaints, claiming that Brahma deceived them into investing large sums of money with the promise of regular returns. Most victims were unsuspecting villagers who deposited cash with Brahma, who assured them that the funds would be used for trading and would yield modest monthly returns.
One victim expressed, “She gave us false hope. We believed in her scheme and deposited our money, expecting monthly payouts.” Many villagers invested lakhs of rupees, some even receiving blank cheques as a gesture of trust from Brahma. A resident of Chanbarikhuti village, Brahma reportedly started her trading business about seven to eight years ago from humble beginnings but allegedly accumulated significant wealth over time.
“She had nothing when she started, but now the amount is estimated to be close to Rs100 crore,” another victim stated.
Victims also noted that Brahma and her husband, Samin Swargiary, who has no known source of income, had been purchasing luxury cars and land. They own vehicles such as a Fortuner and a Scorpio, along with several plots, under-construction houses, and tractors.
When investors demanded their money back, Brahma allegedly cited business losses and refused to return their funds, disappearing shortly thereafter. Her husband is also suspected of being involved in the scam.
Though some victims initially accepted their losses, the rising number of similar financial frauds across Assam prompted them to file an official complaint with the Mushalpur police.