04-05-2025
Indian businessman to be jailed and deported from UAE for financial crimes
An Indian businessman who flaunted his wealth through snapping up rare number plates worth millions of dirhams at auction is to be deported from the UAE after serving a jail term for money laundering. Balvinder Sing Sahni, who also goes by the name Abu Sabah and who claimed to be a billionaire, was convicted of a string of financial crimes as founder and chairman of property developers, the Raj Sahni Group (RSG). The 53-year-old has been jailed for five years and fined Dh500,000 for money laundering by Dubai's Fourth Criminal Court, Arabic-language dailies Emarat Al Youm and Al Bayan reported. A further Dh150 million of assets have been seized from the billionaire. The company's Dubai property portfolio includes the 24-storey Burj Sabah apartment complex in Jumeirah Village Circle and the Qasr Sabah's residential buildings in Dubai Sports City. RSG also owns commercial property in Bay Square, Business Bay and the five star Sabah Dubai Skyline hotel and residences under construction in Sufouh Gardens. As a luxury car collector who often posted photos of his expensive vehicles on social media, Sahni made headlines in 2016 after purchasing the single-digit 5 Dubai licence plate for Dh33 million, around $9 million at the time. The well connected Sahni was a familiar presence on Dubai's social scene, often seen wearing his distinctive royal blue kandura, baseball cap and matching trainers. His Instagram feed is filled with videos flaunting his wealth to his 3.3 million followers, shopping in luxury stores and posing with lions and chimpanzees in private zoos. A criminal investigation into his business practices opened in late 2024, uncovering a complex network of illicit finance including shell companies and bogus invoices. Sahni will be deported from the UAE on completion of his jail term.
