Guwahati, Sep 7 (IANS): Assamese choreographer and actress Sumi Borah’s name has been involved in the multicore online trading scam after she helped the prime accused in getting high profile clients.

Borah hails from Dibrugarh and started her career as a dancer. She acted in a few Assamese movies and also did choreography.

One of the prime accused in the online trading scam - Bishal Phukan also a native of Dibrugarh - calls Borah his sister.

Police said Phukan used Borah’s network in the Assamese film industry and was successful in getting clients who invested in Phukan’s company in the expectation of higher returns.

“Phukan used to throw lavish parties in Guwahati for people associated with the Assamese movie industries in the luxurious hotels in the city. The attendees were lured through expensive gifts by the fraudster. Sumi Borah helped him in getting clients and Phukan used to reward her with a commission,” a senior police officer told IANS.

He said that with the help of the actress, Phukan got a number of clients who invested money in online trading to get higher returns.

Sumi Borah married photographer Tarkik Borah in 2023 at a destination wedding in Rajasthan’s Udaipur city. People from the Assamese movie industry were flown to Udaipur and the expenses were taken care of by Bishal Phukan. He reportedly spent at least five crores rupees at Sumi Borah’s extravagant wedding.

Police said that Phukan invested in acquiring tea gardens and other properties in Upper Assam in the name of Tarkik Borah. Moreover, the prime accused in this scam also set up a dance academy for Sumi Borah in Dibrugarh recently spending at least Rs 33 lakhs for design and another Rs 15 lakhs for soundproofing.

After the arrest of Bishal Phukan, Sumi Borah immediately came under the scanner of the police. On Thursday, police went to her apartment in the Pathar Quarry area in Guwahati. However, the actress and her husband were not at home. Police searched every apartment in the society complex but there was no trace of the duo.

“We found Sumi Borah’s luxury car in the basement of the apartment; however, the couple fled away before the investigation team reached there,” a police official said.

He said that it was learned that Phukan used Sumi Borah to get high-profile clients from outside Assam as well.

“He was planning to lure more people from other states to expand his business with the help of the actress,” the police said.

Reportedly, Bishal Phukan gifted Sumi Borah an expensive diamond ring worth Rs. 76 lakhs on her birthday in August.