The State Tax Department, Lucknow, has booked two women traders for allegedly evading taxes worth Rs 2.56 crore by floating a bogus firm under the guise of a genuine business entity.
According to an FIR filed by Assistant Commissioner (Division 3) Santosh Kumar Singh at the Chowk Police Station, the accused, identified as Sangeeta Mundhra and Geeta Oran, registered a partnership firm named Gorupan Enterprises using falsified details. During verification, the firm's registered address at Khunkhunji Road in Chowk was found to be non-existent, and the mobile number provided was inactive, confirming that the registration was obtained through fraudulent means.
The accused allegedly used the fake entity to claim ITC and generate invoices without any genuine supply of goods or services, thereby causing significant loss to the exchequer.
The FIR comes amid the State Tax Department's intensified crackdown on fake GST registrations and tax evasion cases. Officials have been conducting extensive verification drives to identify non-operational firms and shell entities created solely to manipulate the GST system.
In a similar case, the department also uncovered another fake firm floated by Rooplal Patil and Sandeep Kumar, who allegedly evaded Rs 1.13 crore in taxes through fraudulent means.
Authorities have stated that strict legal action will be taken under relevant provisions of the CGST Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC) against all accused individuals involved in creating and operating such shell firms.
This latest case underscores the government's continued efforts to curb tax evasion through fake GST entities and ensure greater transparency and accountability in the indirect tax system.
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