Table of Biography
Harshad Mehta was a well-known Indian businessman and stockbroker. Harshad Mehta gained recognition for his involvement in the 1992 Indian Stock Market scam that made him famous as a market manipulator.
Early Life
Harshad Mehta was born on 29 July 1965. Harshad hails from Paneli Moti, Rajkot, and he resided in Thane, Maharashtra when he passed away.
Likewise, Harshad came from a Gujarati Jain family. Further, Harshad grew up in Borivali. There, Mehta’s father was a small-time textile businessman. Likewise, his full name is Harshad Shantilal Mehta.
His parents are his father Shantilal and his mother Rasilaben Mehta. Likewise, he has three siblings namely Sudhir, Hitesh, and Ashwin Mehta.
Talking about his educational journey, Harshad completed his early education at Janta Public School, Camp 2 Bhilai. He was also a cricket enthusiast who didn’t show any special promise in school.
After his schooling, Mehta came to Mumbai to study and also to find work. Later on, he attended Lala Lajpatrai College, Bombay, and gained a degree in B.Com in the year 1976. Likewise, Mehta also worked several odd jobs for the next 8 years.
Caption: Harshad posing for a photo with his brother Ashwin Mehta. Source: Kanaphusi
Death
He was only 47 years old at the time of his demise on 31 December 2001 due to a heart attack.
Harshad Mehta – Net Worth 2024
Moving on, Harshad Mehta had a net worth of approximately $475 million US dollars or Indian rupees 3542 Crore at the time of his death.
Career and Professional Life
Professionally, Harshad Mehta was a popular businessman and stockbroker. He gained immense fame after being involved in the 1992 Indian securities scam. This made Mehta famous as a market manipulator.
However, the Economic Times reports that financial experts believe that Mehta didn’t commit any fraud but had simply exploited loopholes in the system.
Harshad started his career as a salesperson at New India Assurance Company Limited (NIACL) in its Mumbai office. During his time at NIACL, Mehta developed an interest in the stock market.
Subsequently, after a few days, Harshad resigned from NIACL and later joined a brokerage firm.
Then in the early 1980s, Harshad moved to a lower-level clerical job. It was at the brokerage firm named Harjivandas Nemidas Securities. There, Mehta worked as a jobber for the broker Prasann Pranjivandas Broker.
Over ten years, Mehta served in various rising positions at several brokerage firms.
As a result, by 1990, Harshad rose to a position of prominence in the Indian securities industry. Many media outlets called him the “Amitabh Bachchan of the Stock market”.
Caption: Harshad was under criminal custody in Thane prison after his stock market exploits exposure. Source: The Daily Voice
More Details
Talking about Mehta’s criminal charges, the authorities could convict Harshad of only 4 charges out of 27 criminal charges before his sudden death in 2001. Allegedly, Harshad engaged in a massive stock manipulation scheme financed by worthless bank receipts.
Mehta’s firm brokered these bank receipts for “ready forward” transactions between banks.
The Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court of India convicted the businessman for his part in a financial scandal valued at ₹100 billion (US$1.4 billion). This allegedly took place on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
The scandal involving Harshad Mehta exposed the loopholes in the Indian banking system as well as the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) transaction system.
Consequently, the SEBI introduced new rules to cover the loopholes that Mehta’s scandal exposed. Furthermore, Harshad Mehta was on trial for 9 long years until he died on 31 December 2001.
Caption: Harshad being arrested after the 1992 Indian Securities Scam. Source: Forbes India
Relationship Status
Harshad was married to Jyoti Mehta. Harshad and Jyoti shared a child namely Aatur Harshad Mehta.
There is no information about how Harshad and Jyoti met each other, how and when they fell in love with each other, and when they got engaged and married.
Harshad Mehta – Body Measurements
Harshad stood tall at an approximate height of 5 feet 6 inches.
Other than this, there is no information regarding Mehta’s other body measurement details like his weight, chest-waist-hip measurements, dress size, shoe size, etc. Moreover, Harshad had dark brown eyes and hair of the same color.
Social Media
It seems like Harshad does and doesn’t have personal profiles on any social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, etc. At the time of Harshad’s demise, the internet and social media were not as prominent as today.