Fake billing: ₹1.37 cr seized from 7 firms

LUDHIANA: Continuing the search operation in the Rs 350-crore bogus billing scam in Mandi Gobindgarh, the Punjab goods and services tax (GST) department conducted raids on seven firms in Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Malerkotla and recovered Rs 1.37 crore, according to a statement issued on Tuesday evening.

The statement said the department also attached payments to be made by the seven firms to some Mandi Gobindgarh companies, which were raided by the department earlier on June 12.

Four of the seven firms, which were raided, are situated in Ludhiana, two in Fatehgarh Sahib and one in Malerkotla.

The inspections were conducted under the supervision of deputy excise and taxation commissioner Pawan Garg and GST additional commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray.

The statement said the department had conducted raids on 10 firms in the industrial town of Mandi Gobindgarh in the Fatehgarh Sahib district on June 12.

Three persons, including the kingpin named Ganga Ram (52) and two migrants who had come to Punjab in search of labour work, were arrested on that day and sent to judicial custody.

It had come to light that owners of the 10 firms had issued forged sale bills to seven firms in Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Malerkotla. Following this, owners of these seven firms availed input tax credit (ITC) worth crores.

The officials said an investigation was going on and the list of other beneficiaries was also being scrutinised and tax would be recovered from every single person, who claimed ITC on bogus purchases.

The All Industries and Trade Forum (AITF) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tighten noose around the firms involved in bogus billing and those evading tax in connivance with the alleged corrupt officials and politicians.

National president of the All Industries and Trade Forum Badish Jindal said, “Tax worth crores is evaded in the county, but the government has failed to check it as some officials and politicians are involved in the practice.”

FOUR OF THE SEVEN FIRMS, WHICH WERE RAIDED, ARE SITUATED IN LUDHIANA, TWO IN FATEHGARH SAHIB AND ONE IN MALERKOTLA