GST Fake Raid: Surat GST official and two others held for extorting Rs.12 Lakh

A superintendent with the Central Goods and Services Tax (GST) department and two others were arrested in Surat, Gujarat, for allegedly extorting Rs 12 lakh from a shopkeeper, according to a police official.

The three defendants carried files bearing the official government insignia but withheld their identities and titles. They informed Rajpurohit that over the previous two years, his shop had generated a total of Rs 5 crore and that he was required to pay Rs 80 lakh in GST. If he didn’t comply, they threatened to close down his business and throw him in jail for ten years. When Rajpurohit said he couldn’t pay the demanded bribe of Rs. 45 lakh, the accused agreed to accept Rs. 12 lac instead, taking Rs. 7 lakh from his store and Rs. 5 lakh from his home.

Based on CCTV footage and other information, a case was opened when Rajpurohit filed a complaint, and the three were taken into custody on April 7, 2023. Superintendent of the Surat GST office Rakesh Sharma, his driver Kailash Sagar, and Rajkumar Sanghavi were named as the defendants. Before reviewing the sales and buy records of textile fabrics, the group removed the CCTV cameras from the business and grabbed the textile trader’s mobile.

Later, Rajpurohit spoke with his Chartered Accountant, who checked with the GST office and discovered that no such team had conducted a raid on his company. He then reported the three people to the Varachha police station for cheating. The accused were detained and charged with extortion, criminal trespass, impersonating a public official, and aiding and abetting under IPC sections 389, 384, 447, 170, and 114.