Sebi bans 7 individuals in ₹20 crore social media stock manipulation case

Capital markets regulator Sebi has barred seven individuals from securities markets for allegedly running a coordinated pump-and-dump scheme across social media platforms and making unlawful gains of over Rs 20.25 crore. Apart from the debarment, the regulator has also directed finfluencer Hemant Gupta and his sons, Rohan Gupta and Aniket Gupta, to immediately cease and desist from offering unregistered research analyst services or from portraying themselves as research analysts. In a 234-page interim order passed on May 22, Sebi alleged that Hemant, Rohan and Aniket acted as "Operators" who first accumulated positions in thinly traded SME stocks and later circulated bullish stock recommendations on social media platforms to inflate prices, before selling their holdings at a profit. Four other family members Sharon, Leana, Rajani and Purvangi Gupta allegedly facilitated the operation by allowing the use of their trading accounts or by executing trades on the operators' instruction