Kingpin of Rs 2.2K cr gambling racket held in UAE, brought back to Gujarat

In a coordinated effort, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Gujarat police and Interpol NCB-Abu Dhabi on Sunday brought back the alleged kingpin of an over Rs 2,273 crore gambling racket apprehended in the UAE, an official said.

A Red Notice was issued against the accused, Dipakkumar Dhirajlal Thakkar, wanted by the Gujarat police for cases of criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, causing disappearance of evidence and offences under the Information Technology Act and Prevention of Gambling Act, the CBI said in a statement.

Thakkar is an accused in a criminal case registered on March 25, 2023, at Madhavpura police station, Ahmedabad, for operating an international gambling racket.

According to the CBI, he is allegedly a kingpin of an international illegal criminal gambling racket, operating through special software applications and using hawala channels for the dispersal of proceeds of crime reported to be more than Rs 2,273 crore.

The probe agency had a Red Notice issued against Thakkar from the Interpol General Secretariat on December 15, 2023, based on the request of Gujarat police, it said.

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

"A security mission from the Gujarat Police travelled to the UAE and returned with a Red Notice subject to India on September 1," the statement said.

As the National Central Bureau for Interpol in India, CBI coordinates with all law enforcement agencies in India for assistance via Interpol channels, it said.