CBI facilitates return of ‘kingpin’ of international gambling racket from UAE

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday facilitated the return of a wanted alleged kingpin of an international criminal gambling network, Deepakkumar Dhirajlal Thakkar, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). CBI sources said that he is accused of using hawala channels for the dispersal of proceeds of crime worth ₹2,273 crore generated in his illegal activities.

He was named as an accused in a criminal case registered on March 25, last year, at Gujarat’s Madhavpura police station in Ahmedabad, for being the kingpin of an international criminal gambling racket, which allegedly operated using custom-made software applications and employed illicit hawala channels for transacting proceeds of crime worth over ₹2,273 crore, CBI sources said.

On a request from the CBI, Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Thakkar, which led to his location, detention and deportation to India. “CBI’s Global Operations Centre coordinated with the Gujarat police, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the authorities of Abu Dhabi’s National Central Bureau for the return of a Red -Notice subject, Dipakkumar Dhirajlal Thakkar, from the UAE to India on September 1,” a CBI official said. An RCN warrants the detention /arrest of any listed subject across its 195 member countries for subsequent deportation /extradition.

Thakkar faces cases involving offences relating to criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, causing disappearance of evidence and offences related to the Information Technology Act and Prevention of Gambling Act, according to the CBI. The Interpol General Secretariat had on December 15, 2023, issued a Red Notice against Thakkar on a request from the CBI.

The Red Notice was circulated to all Interpol member countries for the location and arrest of the accused. “The subject was geo-located in Dubai through Interpol, after which a security mission from the Gujarat Police travelled to the UAE and returned with Thakkar. As the National Central Bureau for Interpol in India, CBI coordinates with all law enforcement agencies in India for assistance via Interpol channels,” the CBI official said.