Lavish Lifestyle Raises Red Flags
Bengaluru police have exposed a large-scale illegal betting and cybercrime racket involving a mother and her son. Investigators uncovered financial transactions worth ₹204 crore over the last two years. The accused are Shabana Abdul Bari and her 22-year-old son, Mohammed Uzaif.
After losing her husband during the Covid-19 pandemic, Shabana chose illegal activities to support her family. Her son Uzaif soon joined the operation. He dropped out of his BCom course after realising the business brought quick money.
Uzaif lived in a luxury apartment in JP Nagar and paid ₹60,000 as monthly rent. He wore shoes worth over ₹1 lakh and a watch priced above ₹15 lakh. These luxury expenses alerted the police.
How the Illegal Network Operated
A special cybercrime team led by Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh cracked the case. Delhi Police assisted in the operation. The accused targeted poor patients visiting hospitals in Bengaluru and other cities.
They offered commissions between ₹2,000 and ₹5,000 to open bank accounts. The duo then collected SIM cards linked to those accounts. Using them, the gang carried out online betting and cryptocurrency transactions.
Police said Prem Taneja, who faced arrest in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case, managed the betting operations. After each betting season, Shabana travelled to Dubai. She coordinated fund transfers into Indian accounts from there.
Arrests and Major Seizures
Back in Bengaluru, Uzaif withdrew the money and distributed commissions. Investigators confirmed that the duo handled illegal transactions worth ₹204 crore within two years.
Police detained 11 people linked to the racket on January 14. They arrested Shabana and Uzaif on Friday as the main accused.
During raids, officers seized 9,000 bank passbooks, ₹25 lakh in cash, 242 debit cards, 58 mobile phones, and 531 grams of gold. Authorities continue the investigation to trace the wider network and money trail.
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