The state goods and services tax (SGST) department’s probe into the newly uncovered Rs 4,120 crore bogus billing fraud revealed that the data from 1,545 Aadhaar cards had been improperly altered.
Afterwards, 2,721 GST registrations were obtained using these cards. Of these registrations, Gujarat accounted for 1,662, or around 61%.
Aadhaar data for around 1,545 Aadhar cards had been stolen by changing the cell numbers associated with the cards, it was discovered during a search by GST authorities on an Aadhaar centre in Palitana about ten days ago. Thereafter, GST registrations were obtained using these cards. In line with this, SGST authorities tracked down 1,763 phone numbers.
The SGST administration has previously revoked 548 of these GST registrations due to fraudulent invoicing. The examination is being done on the remaining 1,114 registrants. At least 35% of these registrations may be fake, according to our suspicions. After the inquiry is finished, the real number will become apparent, according to a source familiar with the situation.
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The department discovered and terminated 663 fraudulent GST registrations between November and February 20. With the use of these GST numbers, bogus bills totalling Rs 14,596 crore and Rs 1,140 crore in taxes were produced.
This fraud exposed the practice of obtaining GST registrations by using falsified Aadhaar data.
The fraud came to light after SGST officers conducted on-site audits of companies in Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhavnagar, and Rajkot. A disparity between the locations on GST registration and Aadhaar data was discovered during the investigation of what turned out to be a Rs 4,120 crore bogus billing scam, and as a result, the department raided the Aadhaar Center in Palitana.
Further searches on Aadhaar centres are anticipated while the government investigates the situation.
