What began as digital gaming has quickly degenerated into a full-blown crisis in Gujarat, where online gambling is ruining families and funding criminal networks.
Four years ago, the Gujarat State Law Commission (GSLC) submitted a report to the state government. The report suggested increasing gambling punishment to a two-year jail term. The commission raised concerns about online gambling platforms. It noted that these platforms are also being used for money laundering. Not much seems to have changed.
In another development, the Porbandar Police claimed to have uncovered transactions amounting to Rs 163 crore from 26 current bank accounts, allegedly opened in the names of shell MSME companies. According to the police, these accounts were operated through four individuals, in whose names four shell companies were created but were actually controlled by Hiralba Jadeja.
News reports claim that two of these individuals are named as accused, and the other two have been listed as witnesses. All four were allegedly paid a salary of Rs 25,000 per month to sit at shops designed to appear as legitimate businesses.
The transactions, amounting to Rs 163 crore, were reportedly carried out over a span of less than a year — between June 2024 and March 2025. The highest amount recovered so far stands at Rs 9 lakh from a single account, while the remaining accounts show balances of less than Rs 1 lakh each. Investigating officials stated that although the overall sum involved was substantial, individual transactions were of relatively small amounts — Rs 100, Rs 200, and Rs 500 — as revealed during questioning of the accused.
Police said most of the money had either been transferred to other accounts within India or routed to Dubai.
On August 14, exactly a week before the passing of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 — which bans Real Money Games (RMGs) from accepting deposits from players in India — the Porbandar district police filed a 3,000-page chargesheet against Hiralba Jadeja. She and her co-accused had been booked on May 15 for allegedly possessing monetary proceeds from cybercrime in multiple benami or mule bank accounts.
Porbandar Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh U Jadeja told a section of the media that their primary analysis of data and evidence led them to believe that most of the funds had originated from online gaming. While some complainants had reported being victims of cybercrime on the national portal, the majority of transactions were not linked to any specific complaints. However, the police noted a pattern in the transaction amounts — typically in round figures — consistent with deposit amounts required by online gaming platforms before participation.
Inspector SR Chaudhary, the investigation officer in the case, told the media that only Rs 80–85 lakh of the Rs 163 crore were proceeds of cybercrime — accounting for merely 0.5% of the total amount.
Police officials indicated that the actual origin of these funds had not yet been traced, but they suspected the money could have come from illegal real-money online gaming platforms. A government-appointed Chartered Accountant (CA) has been auditing the accounts since June to verify this, though the final report is still awaited, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Surjeet Mahedu.
The racket, worth a staggering Rs 163 crore, is allegedly linked to Hiralba Jadeja, a jailed relative of the infamous ‘Godmother’ Santokben Jadeja. Hiralba is known to be the wife of former MLA Bhura Munja Jadeja, who died in 2016. Bhura was the younger brother of Sarman Munja, Santokben’s husband.
For a background, Santokben Jadeja was a well-known figure in Gujarat’s history. She held considerable influence in Porbandar. Not much is documented about her early life. She rose to prominence in the late 20th century. This was a time of political and social unrest in Gujarat.
Her power was linked to alleged involvement in organised crime. She was often called the “Godmother” of Gujarat’s underworld. She was accused of running a criminal network. The network was said to engage in extortion, land grabbing, and violence. Her name became associated with fear and control in the region.
Santokben also entered politics. She won a seat in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. This gave her formal power and public influence. Her political career was surrounded by controversy. Critics claimed she used her position to support her criminal activities.
Yet, she enjoyed the backing of her supporters. They called her the commoner’s Robin Hood. They believed she stood up for the poor.
Her charitable actions earned her loyalty from parts of the community.
In short, her life was marked by both crime and compassion. She also left a lasting impact on Porbandar. Many continue to study her rise and the role she played in Gujarat’s social and political history.
Back to the gaming racket. Investigators believe that 99.5% of the Rs 163-crore racket, reportedly operated from the family residence — the sprawling Suraj Palace — was generated through real-money online games. They further suspect that cases reported on the national cybercrime portal represent only the tip of the iceberg.
The FIR in this case was filed on May 15, following a preliminary investigation into transactions involving suspected mule savings accounts opened in the names of individuals identified as “poor people.”
These accounts, flagged in 130 complaints on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCCRP), were found to have received Rs 45–50 lakh as proceeds of cybercrime. According to Inspector Chaudhary, these accounts were created in the names of labourers and domestic workers.
The police also reported that the matter had been escalated to several agencies: the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for suspected money laundering, the Gujarat Income Tax Department for possible tax evasion, and the GST Department for potential goods and services tax violations.
Four individuals have been arrested so far in connection with the case: Hiralba Jadeja, Hitesh Bhima Odedara, Ajay Mansukh Chauhan, and Sachin Kanakrai Mehta. Six others have been declared absconders, including Parth Mahendra Songela, Mohan Ranchhod Vaza, Raju Balu Parmar, and Naitik Paresh Mavani, all based in India, as well as two individuals known only by their aliases ‘Roger’ and ‘Aashu’, believed to be in Dubai.
The Porbandar Police have written to CID Crime requesting action for the extradition of these fugitives. As per procedure, CID Crime can approach the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which may then request INTERPOL to issue notices against them.
Dy SP Surjeet Mahedu, who is overseeing the investigation, stated that several supplementary chargesheets are expected to be filed in the coming months.
In addition, Porbandar Police have informed the Junagadh and Jamnagar police departments of the developments. While Junagadh police have registered an FIR, Jamnagar police have yet to take similar action.
Between April 30 and July 21, Hiralba Jadeja has been booked in four different cases — three in Porbandar, which include the current cybercrime case and two extortion cases, and a fourth cybercrime case in Junagadh.
