Surat: The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has arrested two individuals in connection with a bogus input tax credit (ITC) scam in Gujarat involving fraudulent claims of around Rs 30 crore.

The arrested accused are Rohit Sanghani, a Jamnagar-based tax consultant and advocate, and Vishal Gondaliya, proprietor of Jamnagar-based R D Enterprise. Both were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. DGGI counsel Imran Malek said it was a rare case in which a tax consultant and advocate was arrested for allegedly facilitating fraudulent ITC claims.

The probe, initiated by the DGGI’s Surat Zonal Unit in November, uncovered several non-genuine firms in Surat, including Maniyar Enterprises, Balaji Enterprises, Vaghela Industrial, Veer Exports and Capital Tea, which were allegedly availing and passing on fake GST ITC.

Further investigation led officials to Jamnagar, where searches revealed fraudulent ITC claims worth about Rs 23 crore. Raids at Gondaliya’s premises resulted in the seizure of mobile phones and tablets. Investigators later identified Sanghani’s alleged role in creating fake entities and issuing bogus invoices and e-way bills to facilitate ITC claims worth crores in return for commissions. DeshGujarat