The Securities and Exchange Board of India ( Sebi) has restrained 22 entities, mostly brokers, from the securities market for allegedly making illicit gain through manipulation of liquid stocks options. Sebi found these entities putting through ‘ reversal trades’ in the stock options segment. The manipulation typically took in deep in- themoney and out- of- the- money options on individual stocks that were thinly traded. In fact, 70- 100 per cent of the volumes in these counters were by the alleged manipulators, it said. According to Sebi, entities through reversal trades generated atotal loss of Rs.1,273 crore and total profit of Rs.1,303 crore. “ These brokers have, prima facie, facilitated their clients to use and employ a pre- meditated manipulative device or contrivance while dealing in the market, a... nongenuine and deceptive transaction,” said Rajeev Kumar Agarwal, member of Sebi, in an order. Some of the entities barred are Giriraj Stock Broking, Best Bull Stock Tradin