Mumbai entrepreneur duped by acquaintance in Rs 7 crore GST dues fraud

Mumbai: A widowed entrepreneur has registered a police complaint against an acquaintance for fraudulently taking control of her GST account and causing her company to run up dues of up to Rs 7 crore by submitting fake sales invoices.

The Bangur Nagar Police registered an FIR and are probing further.

The 43-year-old complainant runs a catering business. She takes food orders over WhatsApp and makes deliveries accordingly. In the past, her husband introduced her to an acquaintance, Johnny, who would help her seek loans for her business. After her husband passed away in Oct 2025, Johnny reached out to her and her sister, claiming he would help them raise funds for their children’s education and household expenses.

He suggested that he could get a loan for the catering company so they could start a food truck business.

He took GST credentials, Aadhaar copy and SIM card for the company and in Dec 2025, he allegedly changed the GST account password. Despite repeated demands from the complainant’s sister, he did not share the new password nor return the SIM card.

Earlier this month, a GST official landed up at the complainant’s home and said their company owed the state Rs 7 crore in GST. On verifying, the complainant learnt that fake sales invoices were submitted and her company was registered at an address in Vishakhapatnam. She then lodged a police complaint.