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Harshad Mehta: the high-profile stockbroker
Harshad Shantilal Mehta (1954-2002) was an Indian stockbroker who grabbed headlines for the notorious BSE security scam of 1992. Born in a lower middle-class Gujarati Jain family, Mehta spent his early childhood in Mumbai where his father was a small-time businessman. The family relocated to Raipur in Chhattisgarh after doctors advised Mehta’s father to shift to a drier place on account of his health.
Transition from an ordinary broker to ‘Big Bull’
Mehta studied in Holy Cross Higher Secondary School, Byron Bazar, Raipur. He quit his job at The New India Assurance Company in 1980 and sought a new one with BSE-affiliated stockbroker P. Ambalal before going on to become a jobber on the BSE for stockbroker P.D. Shukla. In 1981, Mehta became a sub-broker for stockbrokers J.L. Shah and Nandalal Sheth. Having gained considerable experience as a sub-broker, he teamed up with his brother Sudhir to float a new venture called Grow More Research and Asset Management Company Limited. When the BSE auctioned a broker’s card, the Mehta duo’s company bid for it with the financial support of J.L. Shah and Nandalal Sheth. Another name that is rumored to have a crucial hand in the scam was Nimesh Shah. However, Shah could keep a safe distance from the accusations and is currently known to be a heavy player in the Indian stock market.
By year 1990, Mehta became a prominent name in the Indian stock market. He started buying shares heavily. The shares of India 's foremost cement manufacturer Associated Cement Company (ACC) attracted him the most and the scamster is known to have taken the price of the cement company from 200 to 9000 (approx.) in the stock market – implying a 4400% rise in its price. It is believed that It was later revealed that Mehta used the replacement cost theory to explain the reason for the high-level bidding. The replacement cost theory basically states that older