Seven arrested for 7cr GST fraud using fake invoices

Kanpur: Police arrested seven people for allegedly stealing input tax worth about Rs 7 crore by creating fake firms and invoices. A laptop, fake GST invoices and e-bills, and a car without a number plate ere recovered from them.The accused included a chartered accountant, a former corporator's son and two trader cousins. Police said Jaswant Nagar police earlier arrested a cafe operator in the case and sent him to jail.
SSP Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said seven FIRs were registered by a GST officer at different police stations on different dates, following which police initiated investigation. The probe revealed that some people illegally obtained Input Tax Credit (ITC) by issuing fake tax invoices without any actual purchase and sale of goods causing a loss of around Rs 7.03 crore to govt revenue.During investigation it was found that the same racket issued fake invoices without actual supply of goods through firms ML Builders and Bharat Building Material in the Friends Colony police station area and passed on ITC, resulting in fake turnover worth crores of rupees and illegal ITC, said police.A similar case came to light in Jaswant Nagar police station area, where fake tax invoices were issued and ITC was passed on. Police said fake GST registration was done by misusing documents of innocent persons, causing heavy damage to govt revenue.Preliminary investigation revealed that the same organised gang systematically committed GST theft through fake firms, fake invoices and ITC pass-on in Kotwali, Friends Colony and Jaswant Nagar police station areas. Acting on the SSP's orders, an SIT was formed to nab the accused.The SIT collected evidence by analysing IPDR, Netgrid, surveillance, Aadhaar, PAN, rent agreements, banking transactions, electronic evidence, GST portal login activities and other digital evidence, and by obtaining information from various chartered accountants.Police have arrested Nitin Gupta, son of former corporator of Maksudpura and a resident of Dabgran; Tarun Agarwal of Katra Sewakali; Ankit Jauhari and his cousin Shiva Jauhari, residents of a colony opposite Tiksi temple; Abhishek Kumar Shakya and Devesh Chandra Shakya, residents of Katra Shamsher Khan; and Asif, a resident of Barhi Tola. Police earlier arrested Zeeshan, a resident of Mohalla Shahkamar, and sent him to jail.