In a significant crackdown on fraudulent practices under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, the Central GST (CGST) officials in Raipur unearthed network of 13 fake firms engaged in generating bogus invoices.
The operation, conducted by officers of the Fake Invoice Cell, CGST Headquarters, Raipur, followed specific intelligence and data analysis pointing towards the misuse of Input Tax Credit (ITC) provisions, CGST Raipur commissioner, Md. Abu Sama said.
CGST press release said the investigation , which involved extensive surveillance, led authorities to a location where suspicious activities were being carried out. Acting swiftly, the officers conducted search operations and exposed the intricate web of deceit allegedly orchestrated by Hemant Kasera, a resident of Raipur.
During the search proceedings, the release said, incriminating evidence was recovered, including a large number of Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, photographs, signed cheque books, and mobile phones. Notably, all the fake firms were found to be filing GST returns from the same IP address, raising red flags for investigators.
Upon confrontation with evidence, Hemand Kasera, the alleged mastermind, admitted to orchestrating the creation of fictitious firms solely for the purpose of passing fake Input Tax Credit and reportedly confessed to availing fake credit amounting to Rs. 62.73 crore and passing on Rs. 51.42 crore to several other recipients until Feb 2024.
Kasera was arrested on Wednesday under Section 69(1) of the CGST Act, 2017 and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court, which granted judicial custody of the accused.
CGST Raipur Commissionerate has been conducting a drive to combat tax evasion, particularly targeting entities involved in fraudulent billing practices. With these recent arrests, the number of individuals apprehended by CGST Raipur in connection with bogus billing has now reached 15 since the implementation of GST Law.
Source: The Times of India
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