UP STF Arrests 48-Year-Old Man in Jaipur for Alleged Multi-Crore GST Fraud Using Fake Firms and Forged E-Way Bills:

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has arrested a 48-year-old man in Jaipur for his alleged involvement in a gang that cheated the government of crores of rupees through fake firms and forged e-way bills to claim input tax credit (ITC), police said on Tuesday.

The accused, Ankur Kanda, was arrested on Sunday. He was wanted in a case registered at Kotwali police station in Pilibhit in January 2023. The case involves allegations of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

The case came to light after Mohd Farman, owner of Farman & Sons in Pilibhit’s Naveen Mandi, received notices from the Income Tax Department over transactions worth Rs 14 crore allegedly made using his PAN. Farman later found that two firms based in North Delhi, Rayan International and Footnext International, had allegedly used his PAN and forged documents to obtain GST registrations. The firms’ turnover was also reflected in his Form 26AS.

Additional SP Brijesh Kumar Singh of the Meerut STF unit said Kanda told investigators that he and his associates ran a bitumen trading firm named Asia Bitumen. Around 2017-18, they travelled to Delhi, where they met people who had allegedly set up Rayan International using Farman’s documents and those of two other men. Bank accounts were later opened in the firm’s name.

Investigating officer Arun Nigam said the gang allegedly issued fake e-way bills to traders who wanted to claim tax credits illegally. The traders sent money through other bank accounts or hawala channels. The gang then deducted its commission and returned the remaining money, allowing the traders to claim ITC using forged bills.

Kanda and his associates later began issuing fake e-way bills through their own firm, Asia Bitumen, Nigam said.

Acting on a tip-off about Kanda’s location, an STF team led by Inspector Ravindra Kumar travelled to Jaipur and arrested him with the help of local police. Kanda was produced before a court in Jaipur, which granted transit remand. He was then brought to Pilibhit for further investigation.