Senior excise officials among 7 more booked in GST scam

Vigilance probe reveals ‘rampant corruption’; FIR includes the name of a divisional excise and taxation commissioner

PATIALA: Punjab vigilance bureau, probing a multi-crore tax evasion racket, has booked seven more persons, including a divisional excise and taxation commissioner (DETC) and four assistant excise and taxation commissioners (AETC).

As per vigilance officials, the racket has brought to the fore the rampant corruption in the excise department as it involves a number of officers who are allegedly taking monthly bribes from businessmen and transporters for ferrying goods in and out of the state without paying the goods and services tax (GST).

The bureau had registered an FIR in the case on August 21 after the arrest of six persons, including four excise officers.

The VB has now added seven more names to the FIR, as per the documents accessed by HT.

These include BK Virdi, DETC, posted as joint director, investigation, Jalandhar; HS Bajwa, AETC, excise wing, Amritsar; Manjit Singh, AETC, mobile wing, Amirtsar; Harmeet Singh, AETC, audit, Bathinda; Harjinder Singh Sandhu, AETC, Ferozepur; Tarlok Singh posted as

ETO mobile wing, Amritsar; Pushapdeep Singh, superintendent, central GST, Amritsar, and two private persons, including Kailash, a transporter from Jalandhar.

With these fresh FIRs, half of the 16-member mobile wing of the excise department --- that is responsible for tracking GST evasion --- has been booked. Many more are under the VB lens. “The racket is widespread. We suspect involvement of many officials. A raid at a house of an AETC in Pathankot left vigilance officials in a tizzy. The palatial house had imported wood and marble. The bungalow of AETC Bajwa had a climate-control swimming pool. An AETC from Patiala, who is under arrest has invested money in Canada ,” said a VB official, who is part of the probe, pleading anonymity.

“During custodial interrogation, an ETO told us that all ETOs used to give ₹25,000 per month to the DETC,” said another VB official, who did not want to be named.

“We have proposed to open disproportionate assets case against most accused,” said officials.

The names of three top officials of the taxation department have also come to the fore and process has been initiated to collect evidence,” they added,

Vigilance DSP Iqbal Singh said he was not authorised to speak, but added that many officials have been named in the scam, and they all will be quizzed after due approval from top officials.

During custodial interrogation, an ETO told us that all officials used to give ₹25,000 per month to the DETC VB OFFICIAL