Harshit Babulal Jain, an Indian fugitive accused of tax evasion, illegal gambling, and money laundering was deported from the UAE on Friday in connection with a Rs 2,300-crore scam case.
The mastermind behind one of India's biggest cricket betting scams had fled to Dubai following a Gujarat Police raid in March 2023. In August that year, Interpol issued a Red Notice against him. Jain has also been linked to Saurabh Chandrakar and Amit Majethia of the Mahadev Online Betting (MOB) app scam.
CBI COORDINATES RETURN OF HARSHIT BABULAL JAIN FROM UAE THROUGH INTERPOL CHANNELS pic.twitter.com/AamGTOfkIc
— Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) September 5, 2025
The high-profile Mahadev betting app case—also called the Madhupura scam—involved various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats.
Two years later, he has been flown back to India after a joint effort by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Gujarat Police, and the government.
"When Jain was located, a formal proposal was sent to Dubai authorities on December 9, 2023, through the Gujarat Home Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of External Affairs to bring him back to India. Based on this proposal, he was deported on September 5, 2025, and taken into State Monitoring Cell (SMC) custody directly from the airport," DIG of State Monitoring Cell Nirlipta Rai said, as per an Indian Express report.
Rai also said that the multi-agency investigation revealed details of transactions worth Rs 2,300 crores, spread across multiple bank accounts. Out of these, 481 accounts containing Rs 9.62 crores have been frozen. 139 out of 1,507 bank accounts linked to betting activities have also been blocked.
"So far, 37 people have been arrested, lookout circulars issued for 8 accused, and 3 Red Corner Notices, 2 Provisional Requests, and 2 Extradition Proposals have been sent," he added.
This arrest comes after the Indian government outlawed all forms of online games involving real money with the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (2025).
