Jaipur: SGST dept cracks down on fake firms; arrests mastermind

Jaipur: The Commercial Tax Department (SGST) has intensified its efforts against individuals misusing the GST law. In a significant operation on Thursday, the Enforcement Branch of SGST, Jaipur Circle-C, uncovered a racket involving fake firms and arrested mastermind Raunak Khandelwal. Following a tip-off about Khandelwal’s involvement in issuing fake bills for a commission, as well as manipulating Input Tax Credit (ITC) and its verification, the SGST team carried out a raid at Khandelwal’s premises located in Pitliyon Ki Baghichi in Adarsh Nagar.

SGST Commissioner Prakash Raj Purohit, following instructions from Additional Commissioner (Administration) of Enforcement, Jaipur-3, Mahipal Singh, led the team comprising Joint Commissioner Tarachand Meghwal, Deputy Commissioner Dharmvir Chaudhary, Assistant Commissioner Umesh Kumar Soni and other officials. Khandelwal, driven by the lure of commission, used documents of his family members, including his mother, father, and brother, as well as some employees, to register five bogus firms under the GST law. He subsequently issued fake bills worth approximately `55 crore, defrauding around `10 crore in ITC.