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Five GST Officials Arrested for Fraudulent Activities in Hyderabad

Five Goods and Services Tax (GST) officials, including a deputy commissioner, have been apprehended by the Central Crime Station (CCS) of the Hyderabad police for their involvement in aiding and scheming with others to deceitfully claim GST returns.

The arrests of the GST officials came after the CCS officials initially detained four other individuals: Chiraag Sharma, a tax consultant; Vemireddy Raja Ramesh Reddy; Mummagari Giridhar Reddy; and Kondragunta Vineel Chowdary. According to the CCS police, these individuals established fraudulent electric bike manufacturing units under various names by obtaining electricity bills from property owners in Hyderabad.

Subsequently, they registered these fictitious firms on the GST portal by submitting counterfeit rental agreements. The accused parties collaborated with their tax consultant, Chiraag Sharma, to produce fake invoices, e-way bills (Part-A, Part-B), and inward supply bills in the names of these nonexistent companies. These fabricated documents were then used to falsely claim GST refunds, with bribes offered to the state government GST officials, including the arrested government officials.

The accused individuals, with the aid of the arrested government officials, illicitly asserted GST refunds. A police spokesperson stated, “During this process, the accused persons claimed refund and gained wrongfully, causing a wrongful loss to the Government Exchequer, without manufacturing of E-Bikes.”

The arrested GST officials have been identified as follows:

  • Peetala Swarna Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, GST, Nalgonda Division
  • Sri Kelam Venu Gopal, Assistant Commissioner (State Taxes), Abids Circle
  • Sri Podila Viswa Kiran, Assistant Commissioner (State Taxes), Madhapur-1 Circle
  • Sri Vemavarapu Venkata Ramana, Deputy State Tax Officer, GST, Madhapur-II Circle
  • Marri Mahitha, Senior Assistant, Madhapur-III Circle

The authorities continue their investigation into this elaborate fraud scheme, aiming to uphold the integrity of the GST system and ensure accountability for those involved.