Curated By: Business Desk
Last Updated: August 18, 2023, 12:04 IST
The rising online scams have been concerning as scammers dupe people by showing themselves as company officials while they launder money from them. Recently, Gujarat Police uncovered an online betting scam involving a Chinese national who collaborated with people in Gujarat to develop a football betting application. The app reportedly managed to trap around 1,200 victims from north Gujarat, leading to a staggering loss of approximately Rs 1,400 crore within just nine days.
The police formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to look into the matter. During the investigation, it led them to Woo Uyanbe who is a resident of China’s Shenzhen region and is suspected to have orchestrated the scam in the Patan and Banaskantha district of the state.
The crime branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was first alerted about the fraud in June last year. According to the Times of India, the CID got information about certain fraudsters targeting individuals in both Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh through an app named Dani Data. When the Agra Police started their inquiry it lead the team to find connections to north Gujarat.
Speaking with the media CID officer elaborated on the case and said that during their inquiry it was revealed that the Chinese national had been in India from 2020 to 2022. During his stay in the country, he spent considerable time in Patan and Banaskantha districts where he managed to lure locals with promises of substantial wealth.
The Chinese man collaborated with his associates in Gujarat and launched the app in May last year and lured users with the prospects of making bets and earning handsome returns. The officer also mentioned that Uyanbe has managed to siphon off an average of Rs 200 crore every day by targeting individuals ranging from 15 to 75 years of age, primarily using football games as attractions for the victims. “The app operated for a mere nine days before abruptly ceasing to function, leaving individuals to realize that their invested funds had been slyly diverted,” the officer explained.
The CID’s cyber cell apprehended nine individuals who allegedly assisted Uyanbe in channelling the stolen funds through hawala networks. These individuals were found to have established shell companies using them as conduits to divert and move the money. The Gujarat Police started its investigation in August, last year after a FIR was filed for cheating and violations under the IT Act in Patan. Uyanbe however has managed to discreetly leave India and has returned to China.
The CID unfortunately was unable to collect sufficient evidence against Uyanbe, and the legal proceedings for his extradition are still pending. The police department’s inside sources disclosed to the publication that Uyanbe continues to operate his fraudulent network from Shenzhen, China, along with neighbouring regions such as Hong Kong and Singapore. He has reportedly employed multiple apps as tools for cheating. In March, the CID’s crime branch filed a charge sheet in connection to the case.
