Scam accused gives GST officials the slip

Ahmedabad: An accused in the alleged bogus billing scam of Rs 762 crore gave a tough time to officers of goods and service tax (GST) during a filmy chase from SG Road to Manekbaug late on Saturday night in which two officials suffered injuries.
According to an FIR filed with Ellisbridge police on Sunday, three class-1 officers of the investigation wing of the GST department — Pravin Damor, Kuldeep Kesaria and Mayur Patel — got an input that an accused of bogus billing case of Rs 762 crore, Nilesh Patel, is in the New York Tower in Thaltej.
Nilesh, a resident of Bhavnagar and promoter of Madhav Copper Limited, was issued an authorization letter by the GST department, he then secured an anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court till Friday.
On Saturday night, as he was in the city, the three GST officers in a private and two government vehicles, rushed to arrest him in the scam.
Damor said in the FIR that when they saw Nilesh standing near his MUV, they asked him to stay there, but he swiftly sat in his vehicle and drove in speed.
The officers began a chase and it continued till Sahjananad College Crossroads where Nilesh stopped at a signal. Damor went to him and introduced himself as a GST officer and tried to open the door of Nilesh’ car, but he had locked the door from inside, said the FIR.Nilesh again began driving his car in speed and the three officers began chasing him again. At Manekbaug Crossroads, the traffic light turned red and the accused and the officers stopped again. As a car was blocking the way, Nilesh could not drive further. Taking this opportunity, Mayur Patel got down from his car and told the driver of the car, which was ahead of Nilesh’ car, not to move so that Nilesh doesn’t get a chance to run away. The officers had blocked his car from behind but when the light turned green, Nilesh rammed the officers’ car in reverse gear, in which Damor and Kesaria suffered injuries on their foreheads.
Nilesh then got some space in the traffic and fled . The GST officers tried to search for him but when they could not find him, they approached the Ellisbridge police and filed a complaint against Nilesh.