Ahmedabad: Harshit Babulal Jain, who was wanted on charges of tax evasion, illegal gambling, and money laundering, was deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday and handed over to the Gujarat Police at Ahmedabad International Airport, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.
“Jain was wanted for tax evasion, illegal gambling, and money laundering. A Red Notice was issued through Interpol on August 9, 2023, at the request of Gujarat Police. He was deported and handed over to Gujarat Police at Ahmedabad International Airport on September 5,” a CBI statement on Friday said.
CBI said it worked in collaboration with the ministries of home affairs and external affairs and the Gujarat Police to secure Jain’s deportation.
Nirlipt Rai, the deputy inspector general of Gujarat’s State Monitoring Cell, said investigators had traced transactions of over ₹2,323 crore linked to Jain’s betting network.
“During our investigation, we traced transactions worth ₹2,300 crore across multiple bank accounts. Of these, ₹9.62 crore spread across 481 accounts have been frozen…So far, 37 people have been arrested.”
The state police started investigations into the case following a raid on March 25, 2023, at a commercial complex in Madhupura, Ahmedabad, that led to the discovery of the online betting racket. They seized seven phones, three laptops, 536 cheque books, 538 debit cards, 14 point of sale machines, 193 SIM cards, seven PAN cards and over 83 company seals.
{{/usCountry}}The state police started investigations into the case following a raid on March 25, 2023, at a commercial complex in Madhupura, Ahmedabad, that led to the discovery of the online betting racket. They seized seven phones, three laptops, 536 cheque books, 538 debit cards, 14 point of sale machines, 193 SIM cards, seven PAN cards and over 83 company seals.
{{/usCountry}}SMC officials stated that their investigation led them to Jain, who was allegedly operating Mahavir Enterprise from a shop in Madhupura, using fake documents. Jain and his associates allegedly opened bank accounts, procured cheque books and debit cards, and used them to operate accounts through which betting proceeds were routed. He is accused of running online betting operations linked to several online betting sites.
Police said Jain and his associates created shell companies and fake accounts to launder funds. The investigation led to the freezing of 481 bank accounts with a cumulative amount of ₹9.62 crore, and blocking 139 other accounts.
According to SMC, a lookout circular was issued against Jain in April 2023, and a red notice in August 2023, which led to his detention in Dubai.
The Gujarat Police, which took his custody, produced him before a magistrate and sought his police remand for his interrogation.
Officials said Jain’s return will allow investigators to complete the financial trail, identify remaining players and strengthen prosecution under money-laundering and gambling laws.
Officials said Jain’s network was likely linked with a wider syndicate operating from Dubai, including those associated with Mahadev Book. His master ID was allegedly obtained from Deepak Thakkar, a betting operator held in Dubai in September last year and brought to India.