
The Noida police have invoked charges under the Gangsters Act against 33 out of the 45 accused arrested in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) fraud case. The police have registered a fresh FIR against these 33 accused under the Gangsters Act. The gang is suspected of orchestrating a ₹10,000 crore GST fraud scheme, which involved registering thousands of companies under stolen or fake identities and using these firms to generate express-way bills and obtain input tax credit (ITC) from the government.
Arrests and freezing of bank accounts
A total of 45 people have been arrested in connection with the scam, including individuals from Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Sirsa (Haryana), Jaipur (Rajasthan), and Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh). The special investigation team of the Gautam Budh Nagar police has successfully identified and frozen over 24 bank accounts linked to the fraudulent activities, with a balance exceeding 56 lakh. This freezing of accounts aims to prevent further illegal transactions or asset movement.
Involvement of fake firms and revenue loss
The investigation has revealed the involvement of hundreds of bogus firms and transactions amounting to around Rs 10,000 crore. These fake companies were floated using forged documents and were used to fraudulently claim input tax credit (ITC). The accused have caused a revenue loss of approximately Rs 25 crore to the exchequer. The police have also discovered 250 fraudulent companies used for tax benefit claims under GST.
Additional arrests and charges
In addition to the initial arrests, four more individuals were arrested in connection with the GST fraud case, bringing the total number of arrests to 29. The accused have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including sections related to fraud, forgery, and being party to a criminal conspiracy.
Attachment of fraudulently obtained properties
The Gangsters Act has been invoked to attach properties obtained fraudulently by the accused, which caused losses to the exchequer by claiming fake Input Tax Credit amounting to ₹10,000 crore. The police have attached immovable assets worth Rs 5 crore belonging to two Delhi-based suspects as part of the investigation into the GST scam case.
In conclusion, the Noida police have invoked charges under the Gangsters Act against 33 of the 45 accused in the GST fraud case. The investigation has revealed the involvement of hundreds of bogus firms and transactions amounting to around Rs 10,000 crore. The police have made several arrests and frozen bank accounts linked to the fraudulent activities. The Gangsters Act has been used to attach properties obtained fraudulently by the accused.