Former GST-inspector-turned-actor named in ED chargesheet

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet in a special court against former income-tax inspector Tanaji Adhikari, former GST-inspector-turned-actor Kriti Verma, her businessman boyfriend, Bhushan Patil, and others in a money laundering case involving fraudulent TDS refunds totaling Rs 264 crore.

The ED named over a dozen defendants in the case, including companies used for money laundering and individuals associated with them. In the case, the ED has attached, seized, and frozen assets and valuables worth Rs 166 crore and is investigating the remaining proceeds of crime.

Verma denied any wrongdoing, claiming that she entered Patil’s life in 2020, more than three years after he allegedly committed the fraud, and that she had no relationship with Adhikari.

Patil is a key accused, along with Adhikari, of being in a relationship with Verma, a former Big Boss and Roadies Xtreme contestant. According to the ED, much of the ill-gotten money was channelled into Patil’s account, and some of the funds were used to purchase properties, including some in Verma’s name.

According to authorities, Adhikari, a senior tax assistant at the income-tax office who handles refunds of tax deducted at source (TDS), gained the trust of senior officials and obtained their login credentials.

He used these to clear bogus TDS refund claims submitted by his associates to the I-T office. The money was refunded to Patil’s company’s account. Adhikari cleared 12 fraudulent TDS refunds totaling Rs 264 crore between November 2019 and November 2020.

Adhikari was even promoted to IT inspector in February 2021, but he was caught when the bank to which the cheated amount was transferred raised a red flag.

In January 2022, the CBI filed a cheating case against Adhikari, Patil, and four unknown individuals, and the ED followed suit by filing a money laundering case for investigation.

Patil allegedly diverted over Rs 2.5 crore in criminal proceeds into Verma’s account, of which over Rs.1 crore was used to purchase a property in Gurugram, Haryana, in 2021. Patil was the subject of CBI and ED investigations. Verma then sold the property for Rs.1.18 crore and received funds in her account, which the ED froze in the case.

The ED also looked into Verma’s father because she received a portion of the proceeds of the crime in a joint bank account with her father.