State GST department Pune unit nabs businessman in UP for fraud
A 29-year-old city businessman, wanted by the state goods and services tax (GST) department for availing Rs12.59 crore worth of input tax credit (ITC) against fake bills of goods purchase worth Rs 70.22 crore, was arrested on Friday from Siddharth Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.
This is the 68th arrest of tax evaders in 2022-23 by the Maharashtra GST department.
An interstate operation involving officials from the Pune investigation unit of the state GST department and the UP police was carried out to nab the businessman, Sirajuddin Kamaluddin Chaudhary.
He was brought to Pune on a transit remand and produced before a magisterial court on Sunday. The magistrate ordered Chaudhary's remand in judicial custody for two weeks, a press release issued by the office of the Joint Commissioner of State Tax Pune at GST Bhavan here said.
The release stated, "During the investigation, it was found that four major suppliers are non-existent/non-genuine as their GST registrations were obtained by means of fraud, using forged documents. The probes in cases of these suppliers were conducted at multiple places and it is found that Chaudhary, by means of fake bills worth Rs70.22 crore without actual receipt of goods, has availed of fake ITC worth Rs12.59 crore in the firm."
Chaudhary was absconding and hiding in the northern state. A special investigation team (SIT) was formed and sent to UP to nab the culprit.
"The team with special efforts and help from the UP police traced and arrested the accused on March 10. Thereafter, he was brought to Pune under the transit remand accorded by Chief Judicial Magistrate of Siddharthnagar, UP. On production before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Pune, the accused was remanded to judicial custody of 14 days," the release added.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of additional commissioner of state tax (Pune zone) Dhananjay Akhade, joint commissioner of state tax (Pune 2) Deepak Bhandare, and deputy commissioner of state tax Manisha Gopale-Bhoir; it was led by assistant commissioners of state tax Sachin Sangle, Dattatraya Telang, Satish Lanke and Satish Patil, along with state tax inspectors.