Authorities in the western Indian state of Gujarat have uncovered a significant scam orchestrated by a Chinese individual who designed an app and swindled Indian users out of a staggering $168 million. Woo Uyanbe, the Chinese citizen, traveled to Gujarat and collaborated with local accomplices to develop a football betting application, which he subsequently used to deceive around 1,200 Indian users.
The magnitude of the operation raised alarm bells for the Gujarat Police, leading them to establish a Special Investigation Team to trace the mastermind. Following a trail, investigators identified Woo Uyanbe in China’s Shenzhen region. Reports suggest that the scam was orchestrated from Gujarat’s Patan and Banaskantha districts.
Central Investigation Department (CID) officials divulged that they became aware of the fraud in June of the preceding year. The scam targeted individuals in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh through the “Dani Data” app. An initial inquiry by Agra police led the CID team to uncover connections to various individuals in northern Gujarat.
Quoting a police official, The Times of India reported, “Our investigation revealed that the Chinese national was in India from 2020 to 2022. He spent time in Patan and Banaskantha, where he enticed locals with promises of wealth. Collaborating with his associates in Gujarat, they launched the app in May 2022. The app invited bets and guaranteed significant profits.”
The extensive scale of the scam indicates that Woo Uyanbe managed to swindle $24 million daily. Victims ranged in age from 15 to 75 years old.
“The app functioned for nine days before suddenly becoming inactive. This is when individuals realized that their invested funds had been embezzled,” the police official told The Times of India.
The CID cyber cell apprehended nine individuals linked to the case, who purportedly aided Woo Uyanbe in channeling funds through hawala networks via shell companies they established.
An FIR (First Information Report) was filed in August 2022 in Patan, charging the individuals with cheating and violations under the IT Act.
However, Woo Uyanbe managed to evade authorities and return to China. His extradition process has yet to be initiated by the state. According to the report, the mastermind is said to be operating his network from Shenzhen in China and neighboring areas like Hong Kong and Singapore. Allegedly, he has launched multiple fraudulent apps for similar purposes.
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