GST fraud inter-state gang busted in UP’s Sitapur, 4 arrested | Lucknow News
LUCKNOW: In a crackdown on organised financial crime, Sitapur Police busted an inter-state gang GST fraud and arrested four persons accused of large-scale tax evasion spanning multiple states. The arrests were made by the Kotwali Nagar police in a joint operation with the Surveillance Cell and SWAT team following sustained intelligence gathering.The accused were identified as Sona alias Ashish (23), Kuldeep Singh (22) and Vivek Kumar (20), all residents of Agra and Suraj Rawat (22), resident of Almora, Uttarakhand. Police said Sona alias Ashish was mastermind of the racket. The accused were apprehended near RMP School in Sitapur on Saturday night.
During the operation, police recovered Rs 2.3 lakh cash, eight mobile phones, three laptops, and 23 SIM cards from different telecom companies. Additionally, six ATM cards, PAN card, cheque book and three bank passbooks were seized. Investigators also recovered 70 registration certificates, Aadhaar cards and their photocopies, electricity bill copies, property-related documents and handwritten diary records linked to the fake firms.Other recoveries included two gold rings studded with white stones, a yellow metal chain and an SUV without number plate.According to Sitapur ASP, Vinayak Gopal Bhosale, the investigation revealed the accused were operating a well-organised inter-state syndicate that created fake GST firms across several states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP.“Using forged and fraudulently obtained identity documents, the accused registered bogus firms and conducted fake sale and purchase transactions to fraudulently claim input tax credit (ITC), causing losses worth crores to govt exchequer,” Bhosale said.Police investigations revealed the gang lured unsuspecting individuals with promises of employment and collected their identity documents, which were misused to create shell companies in their names. During interrogation, the accused confessed to creating more than 1,200 fake firms and operating the racket in a coordinated manner.The accused disclosed that laptops, mobile phones and multiple SIM cards were used to manage registrations, generate fake invoices and carry out financial transactions. The cash, vehicle, jewellery and electronic items recovered were allegedly purchased using proceeds from GST fraud.The gang also admitted to setting up a fake firm named ‘PS Traders’ in Sitapur using a woman’s details, through which large-scale fraudulent billing was carried out.Police said the accused appeared to be habitual offenders with suspected involvement in similar GST fraud cases across multiple districts. Further investigation is underway to trace full extent of the network and identify other accomplices.
