Ahmedabad: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) conducted raids at 14 locations across five districts in Gujarat, namely Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda, and Bhavnagar, following a complaint filed by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI).

Based on the complaint filed by a senior officer of the DGGI, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police have booked more than 13 firms in the alleged Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) fraud. These firms were reportedly involved in fraudulent activities between February 1 and May 1 of last year.

The accused have been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 420, 467, 468, 471, 474, and 120B.

The FIR states that, based on the information and investigations conducted thus far, “it appears that prima facie, there is involvement of over 220 fraudulently created firms/entities working across the country in an organized manner to defraud the Government Exchequer by availing and passing off bogus Input Tax Credit.”

The statement also noted that the use of forged identities and documents to establish these firms, with the intent to facilitate tax evasion through fraudulent methods, has been detected. As a result, it seems there is a substantial group engaged in a criminal conspiracy aimed at inflicting financial damage on the nation, potentially amounting to crores of rupees. This is achieved through the use of fake billing, forged documents, and dishonest misrepresentation of facts and documents, which requires thorough investigation.

The investigation is ongoing, and legal proceedings are being pursued, as stated in the release. DeshGujarat