Chinese scammer dupes Indians for Rs 1,400 crore using fake football betting app

An elaborate online scam involving a football betting app claimed around 1,200 victims in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, who lost over Rs 1,400 crore. According to a Times of India report, a Chinese national named Woo Uyanbe collaborated with several locals in Gujarat to launch a betting app called Dani Data.

The app invited bets from unsuspecting victims promising lucrative returns. The app was only online for nine days but robbed around Rs 200 crore daily from the victims.

Investigation Reveals Scale of Fraudulent Scheme

According to the report, the mastermind behind the scam, Woo Uyanbe hailed from Shenzhen, China. He was operating the scam out of Patan and Banaskantha with the help of a few Gujarat locals.

Agra Police launched the first official investigation which led to CID discovering the scale of the fraudulent scheme run by the Chinese scammer. Subsequently, Gujarat Police had to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case.

How the Scam Unfolded

According to the investigation, the scammers built an app called Dani Data and were duping victims from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. The app invited bets from victims aged 17 to 75, promising lucrative winnings in return.

The investigation revealed that the Chinese scammer was in India from 2020 to 2022. He operated from Patan and Banaskantha, promising several locals enormous wealth to join him. With the help of his local partners, Uyanbe then launched the Dani Data app in May 2022.

Looting Victims through Bets on Football Games

The app was only online for nine days during which time the scammers looted Rs 200 crore from unsuspecting victims daily through betting on football games.

After nine days, the app suddenly became non-functional and that's when the victims realized they had been duped of their hard-earned money.

Arrests Made but Main Perpetrator Escapes

After the investigation was launched, the CID caught a total of nine individuals connected to the case. These individuals allegedly aided Uyanbe in moving money through shell companies via Hawala network.

However, Uyanbe flew back to China before Gujarat Police filed an FIR under IT Act in Patan in August 2022. The culprit continues to run various fraud apps in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

The CID needs more evidence against Uyanbe and is still in the process of starting Uyanbe's extradition process. A word of caution to our readers, refrain from gambling and using betting apps online. When some of these apps sound too good to be true, they probably are.

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