In a major development, the State GST Department on Thursday night carried out surprise raids at multiple locations in Ludhiana. Acting on specific intelligence, the officials first raided a location on Bhamaian Road and then proceeded to the Civil Lines area. According to information received, two businessmen were detained during the raids. The detainees have been identified as Deepanshu Anand, a resident of Bhamaian Enclave, and Deepak Goyal, a resident of Civil Lines. Both were taken to the Civil Hospital for medical examination late at night.
GST officials had received information that the businessmen were present at their respective residences, leading to swift action. While the exact nature of the case remains undisclosed, officials suspect it to be linked to a tax evasion racket. Several documents have been seized, and mobile data is currently under scrutiny.
The raids come just days after the Punjab Finance Department exposed a Rs 157.22 crore GST evasion case involving 20 fake firms. These firms allegedly constructed a complex network to hide the identities of the real operators, using daily-wage workers and unemployed individuals as fronts.
The fraudsters reportedly lured individuals with a promise of Rs 800 per day wages and collected their PAN, Aadhaar, and other documents under the pretense of transferring payments to their accounts. Using these documents, they registered bogus companies under GST and opened corresponding bank accounts.
The investigation revealed a massive Rs 866 crore scam, out of which Rs 157.22 crore was linked to fake GST claims under the guise of taxi services. Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated in a press conference that so far, Rs 40 lakh in cash, fake bill books, and unsigned cheque books have been recovered. A case has been registered in Ludhiana, with Sarabjit Singh identified as the main accused, currently on the run.