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Authorities uncovered a coordinated scheme that operated between October 2018 and January 2019, during which funds linked to drug trafficking and tax evasion in the UK were laundered using cryptocurrency
A Dubai court has brought down the curtain on one of the emirate’s most high-profile cryptocurrency fraud cases, sentencing Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni—also known as Abu Sabah—to five years in prison after rejecting his final appeal. Sahni will be deported upon completing his sentence, following a binding ruling by the Court of Cassation, Dubai’s highest judicial authority.
Sahni, who styled himself as a billionaire and headed the Raj Sahni Group, was convicted for his role in a large-scale Bitcoin money-laundering operation involving Dh150 million (around $40.8 million). The case, which has drawn international attention, exposed a complex web of illicit financial transactions spanning several countries and involving organised crime networks.
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According to court records, the investigation into Sahni’s business activities began in December 2024 after Abu Dhabi’s State Security Agency received intelligence inputs
Investigators revealed that nearly Dh180 million was transferred anonymously via Bitcoin into five digital wallets allegedly controlled by Sahni. The funds were then converted into cash by associates and delivered in dirhams to a rented apartment at a luxury hotel in Dubai. Sahni reportedly took a four per cent commission before routing the money through bank accounts linked to three of his companies.
In August, Dubai’s Court of Appeal upheld the original conviction and ordered all 30 defendants in the case to jointly repay the Dh150 million prosecutors said was laundered. The latest ruling by the Court of Cassation confirms the earlier judgments, leaving no further avenue for appeal.
All 30 accused—nationals of India, Pakistan, the UK, the Netherlands, Palestine, Iraq and Jordan—were found guilty, receiving sentences ranging from one to five years. Twenty individuals have been arrested, while ten remain at large. Sahni’s companies, including Raj Sahni Group, Sabah Tower RSG and Reeva Realty FZ-LLC, were each fined Dh5 million.
Despite his conviction, Sahni was once a prominent figure in Dubai’s luxury and real estate circles, owning high-end residential and commercial properties across the city. Known for his flamboyant lifestyle, he frequently showcased luxury cars, designer shopping sprees and exotic animals on social media—an image that starkly contrasts with his dramatic legal downfall.
