Ludhiana gang using counterfeit bills to avail GST returns worth

Police busted a gang of fraudsters using counterfeit bills that dealt losses to the tune of ₹116 crore for the GST department, arresting five accused who had been running the operation since 2017.
The investigation revealed that the accused had utilised six different firms to issue fake bills. The arrested accused have been identified as Hardeep Singh from Vishwakarma Colony of Miller Gunj, Sukhdev Singh from Harkrishan Nagar of Miller Gunj, Ranjeet Singh Babber from Gill Road, Miller Gunj, Sumit Kumar from Labour Colony and Harpal Singh.
Police commissionerate cyber cell played a crucial role in busting the racket. The crackdown was initiated following a complaint lodged by Amandeep Singh of Shimla Colony, Jodhewal, who had flagged a notice said to be issued by the GST department. It was later discovered that the accused had fraudulently used Amandeep’s Aadhaar card and altered his photo to set up a fake firm, through which they obtained GST refunds from New Delhi.
Sharing details, cyber cell in-charge inspector Jatinder Singh said a comprehensive investigation exposed the gang’s operation and bogus billing activities. The accused had forged documents of unsuspecting individuals to create fake firms and issue counterfeit bills to avail GST refunds.
Police have identified six fraudulent firms used by the accused, leading to the significant loss incurred by the GST department. Efforts are underway to apprehend more individuals involved in the scam, with plans to charge those who knowingly accepted the fake bills, the inspector added.
A case under sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 120-B (Criminal intimidation), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code, section 66C and 66 D of Information Technology (IT) act has been registered against them.