Hyderabad: Five Goods and Services Tax (GST) officials including a deputy commissioner have been been arrested by the Central Crime Station (CCS), Hyderabad police, for aiding and conspiring with other persons who claimed GST returns fraudulently.
The GST officials were arrested after the CCS officials earlier took into custody four other accused persons named Chiraag Sharma, at tax consultant, Vemireddy Raja Ramesh Reddy, Mummagari Giridhar Reddy and Kondragunta Vineel Chowdary. According to the CCS police, they started bogus electric bike manufacturing units with various names by collecting electricity bills from the property owners in Hyderabad.
Later, they registered the firms in the GST portal by submitting fake and fabricated rental agreements. The accused persons then conspired with their their tax consultant Chiraag Sharma by created fake and fabricated invoices, e-way bills (Part-A, Part-B) and inward supply bills on the name of fake and bogus firms. These were used to show non-existent companies as existing and filed GST refunds by offering the bribes to the state government GST officials.
The accused, with help of the arrested government officials, claimed the GST refunds. “During this process, the accused persons claimed refund and gained wrongfully and caused the wrongful loss to the Government Exchequer, without manufacturing of E-Bikes,” said the poluce.
The GST officials who were arrested have been identified as: Peetala Swarna Kumar, Dy. Commissioner, GST, Nalgonda Division, Sri Kelam Venu Gopal, Asst. Commissioner (State Taxes), Abids Circle, Sri Podila Viswa Kiran, Asst. Commissioner (State Taxes), Madhapur-1 Circle, Sri Vemavarapu Venkata Ramana, Dy. State Tax Officer, GST, Madhapur-II Circle and Marri Mahitha, Sr. Assistant, Madhapur-III Circle.
| 
