A Chinese national, along with perpetrators based in Gujarat, created a deceitful football betting app that collectively scammed 1,200 people and using it—managed to steal approximately Rs 1,400 crore in a span of 9 days.
According to The Times of India, the mastermind, Woo Uyanbe—who hails from China’s Shenzhen region—was found to be operating the scam out of Patan and Banaskantha. The Gujarat Police needed to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to solve the case. Moreover, CID was first alerted about the same when it was discovered that perpetrators were duping victims—both in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh—using the ‘Dani Data’ app.
It was the Agra Police that first officially launched an inquiry that led to CID discovering the fraudulent scheme by the Chinese scammer.
“During our investigation, we learned that the Chinese national was in India between 2020 and 2022. He spent time in Patan and Banaskantha, where he met numerous locals and lured them with promises of wealth. He and his accomplices in Gujarat then launched the app in May 2022. It invited bets and promised substantial returns,” the investigating officer was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
The frequency of the scam was outrageous. Every day, the fraudsters stole an average of Rs 200 crore from victims ranging between 17 and 75 years old.
In total, the fraudulent football betting app was online for a period of 9 days. While it may not sound like a long period, the scammers did end up stealing Rs 1,400 crore in total. After 9 days, the app became non-functional—making victims realize that they had been deceived.
In the matter, as reported by The Times of India, so far 9 arrests have been made for helping the Chinese man, Woo Uyanbe—in sending the money to China using ‘hawala.’ However, sufficient evidence couldn’t be collected against Woo Uyanbe, who is also the alleged mastermind behind the whole operation. He has also allegedly fled back to his home country, China, where he continues to operate other schemes.
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