By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: A specific intelligence was developed by the officers of Delhi South CGST Commissionerate concerning certain bogus firms that were created solely for the purpose of generating fake invoices and passing ineligible input tax credit along the chain.
Searches and inspections were conducted across locations spread across Delhi, unearthing a cartel running 54 bogus firms registered in Delhi –NCR region that were engaged in fake invoicing and circular trading. Incriminating documents such as rubber stamps and letter heads of various firms, mobile phones, laptops etc. have been seized from the search premises.
Preliminary enquiry conducted so far into these transactions has revealed fake invoicing of around Rs. 611 crores and tax evasion of over Rs. 38.5 crores. The members of cartel in their Confessional statements have accepted their roles in managing these bogus firms.
The persons behind these bogus firms hatched the conspiracy to defraud the government and committed offences specified under section 132(1)(b) and 132(1)(c) of the CGST Act 2017 which are cognizable and nonbailable. Three key persons of the cartel namely Sh. Ankit Gupta, the mastermind managing these bogus firms and two of his accomplice Sh. Rabiendra Singh and Sh. Rajendra Singh has been arrested on 23.02.2022. The accused were produced before the Duty Magistrate following which they have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.
Meanwhile, Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Commissionerate, Faridabad, of Panchkula CGST Zone, on 23.02.2022 arrested two persons for running a fake billing racket, involving five (5) dummy firms, dealing in trading of iron scrap, registered in Faridabad, Haryana, for issuance of fake invoices of over Rs 200 crore without actual supply of goods and availing and passing fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) amounting to Rs. 31.85 crore.
A team of officers of Anti-Evasion, CGST Commissionerate, Faridabad, conducted simultaneous searches at 5 places in Faridabad on 22nd February, 2022. During the investigation, it was found that the said firms have been availing and passing on fraudulent Input Tax Credit based on bogus / fake invoices without actual supply of goods.
As per Section 132 of CGST Act 2017, issuance of an invoice or bill without supply of goods or services and wrongful availment or utilization of Input Tax Credit is a cognizable and non-bailable offence if the amount is over Rs. 5 crore.
Both the proprietors of the said firms have accepted that they have availed and passed on fraudulent ITC of Rs. 31.85 crore, without actual supply of goods to inter-state recipients and have accepted the total GST liability of Rs. 31.85 crore during initial investigation. The quantum may increase in future.
Therefore, both the accused have been arrested under Section 69 of Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 for committal of offences under Section 132(1)(b), 132(1) (c) & 132 (5) of the CGST Act, 2017. They were produced before the CJM Court, Faridabad, on 23.02.2022 and were remanded to 14 days Judicial Custody.
