Monday, 27 February 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Central GST Uttarakhand Commissionerate has detected a scam of GST evasion amounting to Rs 20.83 crore by an entity Thakur Traders, Dehradun which had issued Goods Less Invoices, in excess of Rs 135 crore (inclusive of GST) to various entities throughout Pan India. The entity also passed on fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) of more than Rs 20 crore. According to officials, in this case, Ishrat Ali Ansari, the proprietor of one of the beneficiary firms, A & A Trading Co, Dehradun, has also been arrested.
CGST Uttarakhand has been developing intelligence about GST evasion from different sources, said CGST commissionerate, Dehradun commissioner Deepankar Aron. Apart from informers, the officers are relying heavily on data analysis. In this context, a major drive has been taken by this office as regards those entities who have availed or utilised fake ITC in order to evade government revenue. Intelligence processed reveals that a nexus of newly registered firms has been passing huge amounts of ineligible ITC within a very short period of their registration. This fraudulent ITC is then being utilised to pay the GST liabilities causing losses to the government exchequer. In this context an investigation was initiated against Thakur Traders and initial analysis revealed that the enterprise has issued invoices in excess of Rs 135 crore (inclusive of GST) to various entities registered across India and passed on ITC of more than Rs 20 crore. Further analysis revealed that the said firm has obtained GST registration on forged documents. Subsequently, searches under Section 67 of CGST Act 2017, were carried out by a team of officers at the firm’s office premises and it was found to be a non -existent entity created merely for the purpose of passing on fraudulent ITC without actual supply of goods.
Further, the beneficiary firms of this fraudulent ITC chain in Uttarakhand were identified including seven in Dehradun and one in Haridwar. Follow up searches were conducted at the declared premises of these entities by the anti-evasion officers of CGST Dehradun Commissionerate. During the course of search, all these entities/taxpayers were found non-existent at their registered premises. Inquiries conducted also revealed that the said taxpayers never existed at their declared principal place of business and no business activities were carried out by them and that they were bogus entities created merely on papers to pass on fake ITC.
