The Gautam Buddha Nagar police conducted a building raid and made 16 arrests on Tuesday, in relation to an internet gambling scam that was allegedly being run out of Dubai and believed to have expanded throughout India.

The three-story building in Noida Sector-108 was hired by the accused, who hailed from Jhansi, Hamirpur, and Lucknow, to run the scam, according to the police. The first floor was always empty, the second floor served as their residence, and the third floor served as the hub from which the entire con was run. They used to leave their car parked on the ground floor. When the accused exited and entered the building, they shut the main gate, giving the impression that no one resided there.

“They used to commit the fraud through Mahadeva App, which is available on Google Play Store and social media platforms. First, they used to get their apps downloaded (on the users’ phones), then offered small deals, like a return of Rs 600 for Rs 500 etc. In this way, they successfully got the victims to bet larger amounts in lakhs of rupees, and after receiving the amount, they used to switch off their phones. This is a huge fraud and we are developing a proper trail and chain.” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Harish Chander.

“The accused used around 15-16 saving bank accounts and 12-14 current accounts. They used to ask for money in their savings account, transfer it to the current account and then siphon it off. We are investigating who received the money and where it was spent. As of now, we have frozen around Rs 1.5 crore. Apart from these 16 people, there are nine others; among them, one Sachin Soni is the head.”

The officer said a person named Saurabh Chandraker was the gang’s mastermind. He said Chandraker used to give directions to Sachin, and the other eight people used to operate in different locations in India successfully.