The Mumbai Unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case of cheating the then sales tax officer at the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) Department for allegedly colluding with the taxpayers to enter into a criminal conspiracy and make false reports for his own benefit and that of 16 tax payers to the tune of tax refund of Rs 175.93 crore.
The ACB has booked a public servant identified as Amit Giridhar Ladge (44), then Sales Tax Officer at SGST Department, GST Bhawan, Mazgaon Mumbai and other 16 tax payers traders.
According to the ACB, a total of 16 taxpayers had allegedly falsified their places of business between August 2021 and March 2022 before Amit Giridhar Lalge, then Sales Tax Officer who was in charge of Ghatkopar Division and had obtained GSTN number by submitting fake tenancy agreement and thereafter the said taxpayers had submitted 39 tax refund applications for a total amount of Rs 175.93 crore despite not paying any tax to the government.
"Having knowingly not checking the said tax refund applications and even though it appeared in the computer system on the GST portal that the said taxpayers were fake, instead of rejecting the said tax refund applications, Ladge misused his position and colluded with the taxpayers to enter into a criminal conspiracy and make false reports for his own benefit and that of 16 tax payers of different companies, he approved the tax refunds to the tune of Rs 175.93 crore and disbursed them to the tax paying traders (other co-accused persons)," said an ACB official.
A case has been registered under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant. or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using genuine a forged) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
