Hi there, and thanks for checking out my latest blog post, which is all about the most egregious scams in India’s stock market. India has plagued its stock market with scandals and frauds throughout its history. It includes the recent NSEL Affair and the more well-known Harshad Mehta Fraud. These scams have severely damaged the Indian economy and the confidence of stock market investors. The most notable stock market frauds in India and its aftereffects are the focus of this article. We’ll also go over some preventative measures you may take to avoid falling victim to a financial scam. Let’s go in and look for the skeletons in India’s stock market.
FAQ on Biggest Stock Market Frauds in India
To commit fraud in the stock market is to engage in any illegal or unethical practice with the intent to influence or deceive either individual investors or the stock market as a whole. Insider trading, stock manipulation, Ponzi schemes, and shady accounting are all forms of stock market fraud.
Among India’s many infamous con artists, Harshad Mehta is a household name. He played a role in one of the largest financial frauds in Indian history, the 1992 securities scam.
Harshad Mehta, Satyam, Ketan Parekh, NSEL, and Saradha are only a few of the largest financial frauds to occur in India. Both individual investors and the Indian economy as a whole have lost a great deal of money as a result of these scams.
I. Introductory Note on the Stock Market Frauds in India
The Indian stock market is an integral part of the country’s economy since it allows businesses to raise funds and allows investors to build their wealth. Of course, with any potential reward comes the possibility of loss, and for investors, fraud is among the worst of these threats. Fraudsters may manipulate the stock market and exploit investors. Insider trading, market manipulation, and fraudulent accounting are just a few examples of this type of illegal behaviour. Traders and the Indian economy as a whole have suffered greatly due to the stock market frauds.
Learn about stock market frauds and their significance in India in this insightful blog post. Next, we’ll go over some of the most notable scams to hit India’s stock exchange. Included in this category are the Harshad Mehta Scam, the Satyam Scandal, the Ketan Parekh Fraud, the NSEL Scandal, and the Saradha Scam. Let’s discover more about stock market scams in India by delving into this topic.
II. Harshad Mehta Scam
Harshad Mehta was a stockbroker who became well-known in the late 1980s and early 1990s for his optimistic outlook on the market. Mehta’s strategy consisted of borrowing money from banks and investing it in underappreciated companies. Later, he would use rumours to artificially inflate the stock values of the targeted companies. He was able to make a profit on the sale of his shares due to the recent surge in stock prices. Mehta’s success in the stock market earned him the moniker “Big Bull.” Also, people knew him as a representation of India’s burgeoning economy.
Details of the scam and how it was executed?
Although initially successful, regulators eventually came to know about Mehta’s fraud schemes and his career ended abruptly in 1992. Stock prices were inflated, phoney bank receipts were created, and bank accounts were emptied as part of the scam. Swindle proceeds were estimated at over Rs. 4,000 crore (nearly $560 million), a huge amount at the time.
The consequences of the Harshad Mehta Fraud were very high. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex dropped by more than 50 per cent in just three months as the Indian stock market imploded. Many financial institutions suffered heavy losses after lending money to Mehta, creating a liquidity crisis. Flaws in India’s banking and financial systems were also exposed by fraud. Furthermore, it resulted in the formation of SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) to oversee the Indian stock exchange.
Many documentaries and web series have been made about the Harshad Mehta Fraud in recent years. Critical acclaim has been given to the online series “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story,” which is based on the book “The Scam” by journalists Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu. The show reveals the complex web of relationships between the economy, politics, and the stock market. It also emphasises how Mehta’s activities have affected regular people. Abhishek Bachchan’s “The Big Bull” is based on the scam and has him as the protagonist. This is a fictitious narrative of the circumstances that led to the swindle and the life of Mehta. These works’ widespread acclaim has served to highlight the Harshad Mehta Fraud and its continuing impact.
III. Satyam Scandal
Being an industry pioneer in India, Satyam Computer Services Ltd. Ramalinga Raju, founder and chairman of the firm, was admired as a pioneering thinker and leader. Satyam was a major participant in India’s IT sector, serving multinational corporations like GE and Nestlé.
The 2009 Satyam Affair, however, sent shockwaves across India’s business community. Company finances were tampered with, phoney invoices were created, and sales and profits were inflated as part of the scam. Raju stepped down after confessing to the fraud and the stock price of the firm plunged.
In a letter to the company’s board of directors, Raju admitted to the deception that led to the discovery of the Satyam Affair. According to the letter, the total amount of the scam was about Rs. 7,136 crore (about $1 billion). The deception went undetected by auditors for a long period of time.
A lot of people were hurt as a result of the Satyam Affair. Customers of Satyam were left in a state of disbelief, and the firm’s reputation was severely harmed. The scandal’s larger repercussions for India’s business world emphasise the need for increased corporate governance and government regulation. The government intervened, and Tech Mahindra finally bought the firm.
The effects of the Satyam Affair on the Indian business community are far-reaching, and the case is still being studied as a lesson. A recent documentary titled “Bad Boy Billionaires: India” focused on the lifestyles and controversies of many of India’s most notable business executives, among them Ramalinga Raju, and included an examination of this incident.
IV. Ketan Parekh Scam
The Indian stock market in the late 1990s and early 2000s was dominated by Ketan Parekh, a notable stockbroker. He became famous for employing a strategy called “circular trading” to artificially inflate the share values of small and mid-sized enterprises.
In order to artificially boost the stock price, certain people or organisations may engage in a practice known as “circular trading,” which entails swapping shares of a business amongst The stock prices of numerous small and mid-cap firms in which Parekh has a large stake were artificially inflated by using this method.
When the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which regulates India’s stock market, began looking into Parekh’s trading practices in 2001, it was the beginning of the end for him. The inquiry discovered many anomalies, such as the creation of false accounts and the implementation of circular trading, with the intention of influencing stock prices.
The probe led to SEBI suspending Parekh’s trading privileges and freezing his accounts in the Indian stock market. Parekh witnessed his investment value drop for numerous small and mid-cap firms after the ban sent shockwaves across the market.
Indexes on both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) dropped significantly when news of the Ketan Parekh Scam became public. SEBI changed the regulations after the fraud to make markets more open and less susceptible to manipulation.
V. NSEL Scandal
From 2008 to 2013, the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) functioned as India’s commodities exchange. It allowed for the exchange of numerous commodities, such as metals, agricultural goods, and energy sources.
The exchange was found to be complicit in a major fraud in 2013 when it was revealed that it had produced counterfeit warehouse receipts for commodities that did not actually exist. The fraud affected multiple companies with ties to the exchange and the value of the scam was more than Rs. 5,000 crores.
Exchange financiers exposed scammers when they demanded physical delivery of their investments. Investigators discovered that the goods were fake and the warehouses supposedly containing them did not exist.
Due to the NSEL Affair, several investors lost everything. Several enterprises connected to the exchange in India’s commodity sector went bankrupt as a result of the fraud.
India regulators completely revamped their commodities trading regulations as a result of the NSEL Affair. With the purpose of keeping similar scams from happening again, the government created a new regulatory body called the Forward Markets Commission to keep an eye on the commodities market.
VI. Saradha Scam
The Saradha Group promoted many financial schemes as investment opportunities on the stock market, making the Saradha scam one of the most notable financial frauds in India. The West Bengal-based conglomerate held holdings in a wide range of industries or sectors, like construction, publishing, and hotel management.
The Saradha Group’s Ponzi schemes allegedly promised investors substantial profits. It utilized this technique to acquire capital for its different enterprises. Unfortunately, the organisation fell short of its pledges, and the hoax was uncovered in 2013. West Bengal, Assam, and Odisha were just a few of the states in India from which the organisation has raised over 2,500 crores.
As a result of the scam, the stock values of many companies connected to the Saradha Group plummeted. Political ramifications of the swindle emerged as well. Several prominent politicians, including members of the ruling party in West Bengal, became subsequently accused of involvement in the scam. Because of the public outcry that the hoax caused, the authorities moved quickly to put a stop to it. They made multiple arrests and took control of the Saradha Group’s property.
VII. Other Notable Stock Market Frauds in India
In addition to the aforementioned big stock market frauds, there have been additional notable cases of financial scams in India. The 2011 SpeakAsia Online scam is one example of such a scheme. SpeakAsia Online Pte Ltd was responsible for running the phoney business. A market research firm established in Singapore, pledging substantial returns to its backers. A portion of the company’s funding came from investors who were invited to fill out online surveys in exchange for cash and other incentives.
But it turned out that the surveys were really a front for a pyramid scheme, and the company itself didn’t do anything. They are nothing but shell companies. The swindle greatly influenced the value of Indian shares. Following this news, several companies with ties to SpeakAsia saw precipitous drops in their stock values.
The Rose Valley fraud, the IMA scam, and the Golden Woods scam are just a few of the more infamous financial scams that have originated in India. The Indian economy and stock market got severe damage by each of these frauds. Every single one of them cost investors millions of rupees.
Financial scams persist in India despite the government’s best efforts to combat them. Because of this, there has to be more regulation and investor education.
VIII. How to Protect Yourself from Stock Market Frauds in India
The stock market is a great place to grow your money, but it’s not without its dangers, such as the threat of fraud. Many precautions can help you avoid being a victim of a stock market scam in India. The first rule of investing in stocks or schemes is to always do your fundamental research. Look for warning signs, such as excessive claims of return on investment or a lack of disclosure, and do your homework on the firm or scheme. Second, stick to SEBI and RBI-approved firms and plans. Lastly, always be on the lookout for any discrepancies in your portfolio by reviewing it frequently.
I’ll add my two cents as a technical analyst and tell you to keep a watch on the market. In particular, I recall the day that the Nifty index and the Satyam share price both plummeted. But, I do recall that the 2-period RSI was excessively hot just before the drop. Technical analysis is essential since it can save you from taking the wrong side in many situations.
You can lessen your chances of being a victim of stock market fraud in India if you follow these suggestions. You should also be aware of the importance of reporting any suspicious actions to regulatory organisations like SEBI and RBI as soon as possible.
IX. Conclusion
Overall, all the frauds in India’s stock market have had serious consequences for the country’s economy, investors, and financial system. The Harshad Mehta scam, the Satyam affair, the Ketan Parekh scam, the NSEL scam, and the Saradha scam were some of the largest stock market scams in India, and they revealed flaws in the regulatory and legislative framework governing the stock market. Being aware of and prepared for the possibility of stock market fraud is essential for investors. In addition, it is important to safeguard investors from fraud by taking the appropriate measures. No one can emphasise the importance of regulatory agencies in the fight against and detection of fraud. Investors in India can better protect their money and the market as a whole if they keep up with news and industry standards.