By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/ROURKELA: The Income Tax Department has carried out search and seizure operations on in the case of a Group involved in the manufacturing and trading of steel products having premises in and around Rourkela in Odisha.
The Group entities were booking bogus purchases of around Rs. 170 crore for two financial years in the name of 17 bogus entities. All the 17 parties have confessed in the statements recorded during the course of search and seizure operation, that they were unaware of any such business concerns in their name.
It is also observed that the total amount was withdrawn in cash from the bank accounts of these bogus entities. Further, all the proprietors or directors of the bogus entities are daily wage labourers or from economically weaker sections.Further investigations are going on.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) Gurugram Zonal Unit (GZU), Haryana has arrested one Rajesh Kasera resident of New Delhi on charges of IGST fraud by way of illegally availing input tax credit (ITC) on invoices without goods, and encashing through IGST refund mode by resorting to overvalued exports.
It is apparent from the investigation conducted till date, that Rajesh Kasera created and controlled two companies by the name of M/s S.K. Traders helmed by dummy director Sushil Kumar Goyal and another by the name of M/s R.K. Enterprises, based in New Delhi and Faridabad respectively. M/s S.K. Traders had availed/passed on fraudulent ITC of Rs. 3.47 crore to on invoices without accompanying goods. Further M/s R.K. Enterprises had passed/availed fraudulent ITC of Rs. 5.25 crore on invoices without accompanying goods.
The investigation spanned multiple locations in Delhi NCR area and based on documentary evidence and statements recorded, it was ascertained that Rajesh Kasera was the de facto controller of M/s S.K. Traders and proprietor of M/s R.K. Enterprises. Both these entities indulged in the act of wrong availment /passing on of Input Tax Credit of Rs. 8.72 crore.
Accordingly, Rajesh Kasera was arrested on 7.12.20 and produced before Duty MM Delhi, who ordered judicial custody. A total fake ITC of more than 8.72 crore has been thus passed/availed by the accused which was subsequently used for wrongly availing IGST refund.Further investigations in the matter are under progress.
