Football Betting App Scam: Gujarat Police Uncover Rs 1,400-Crore Fraud, 1,200 Users Allegedly Duped Within 9 Days

The mastermind behind this elaborate operation has been identified as Woo Uyanbe, hailing from the Shenzhen region in China.

Initial awareness of the case was raised in June 2022. ( Image Source :pixabay )

A major digital deception case has come to light as Gujarat police unravel a complex scheme involving a Chinese national collaborating with partners in Gujarat to develop a football betting application. This app allegedly defrauded around 1,200 individuals, resulting in an estimated theft of approximately Rs 1,400 crore within a remarkably short span of just nine days.

As reported by The Times of India, the mastermind behind this elaborate operation has been identified as Woo Uyanbe, hailing from the Shenzhen region in China. Uyanbe orchestrated the scam by coordinating activities from the Indian locales of Patan and Banaskantha in Gujarat. His presence in India extended from 2020 to 2022.

Recognising the magnitude of the operation, the Gujarat Police established a dedicated Special Investigation Team (SIT) to delve into the case.

Initial awareness of the case was raised in June 2022 when the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) uncovered that individuals were being defrauded through a betting app named 'Dani Data,' affecting victims across both Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Agra police's initial inquiry led the CID's crime unit to unveil the fraudulent scheme, exposing connections to various individuals in northern Gujarat.

An investigator working on the case shared with TOI, "Through our investigation, we discovered that the Chinese national had been in India between 2020 and 2022. During his stay in Patan and Banaskantha, he managed to engage with several locals, enticing them with promises of financial gain. Subsequently, in May 2022, he and his local partners launched the deceptive app, luring users with betting opportunities and attractive returns."

Given the scale of the operation, Uyanbe managed to redirect an astonishing average of Rs 200 crore per day by targeting a diverse age group ranging from 15 to 75 years, primarily individuals with a keen interest in football.

The CID's focus turned towards nine locals in Gujarat who were implicated in assisting Uyanbe. It was uncovered that these associates established shell companies to act as channels for diverting and transferring the stolen funds.

"In a span of just nine days, the app abruptly ceased operations, leaving investors to realise that their funds had been covertly rerouted," the investigator further added.

Although the Gujarat police lodged their initial case in August 2022, charging Uyanbe with cheating and violations of the IT Act in Patan, he had already left India by that time.

According to sources within the police, Uyanbe remains actively engaged in operating his fraudulent network from Shenzhen, in collaboration with accomplices based in neighbouring regions like Hong Kong and Singapore. The network's tactics reportedly involve the deployment of multiple deceptive applications. In March, the CID's crime branch took the initiative to file a chargesheet in connection with the case, marking a significant development in the ongoing investigation.