New Delhi: Following the registration of three cases involving identity theft, Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police has launched an investigation into alleged fraudulent GST transactions worth around Rs 141 crore.In one of the cases reported in April, a 63-year-old woman from New Delhi alleged that her PAN card details and the credentials of her former partnership firm were misused to fraudulently obtain GST registration.Police said the woman’s partnership firm, which was engaged in the manufacture of artificial jewellery, had ceased operations in 2013. However, she later received official notices indicating that her identity details and the firm’s PAN were used to secure GST registration fraudulently. She alleged that she subsequently came across information suggesting large-scale tax irregularities linked to a business entity that had reportedly availed input tax credit worth around Rs 99.8 crore.In another case also reported last month, a businessman from north Delhi alleged that his PAN card details were misused to fraudulently obtain GST registration, open a fictitious business entity and conduct high-value transactions exceeding Rs 32 crore. He claimed that unknown persons created a fake firm without his knowledge, using his personal tax identification details.The complainant alleged that the GST registration was obtained using his PAN credentials with a fictitious address in Pune, Maharashtra. He told police that he had been receiving continuous notices from the income-tax department regarding transactions linked to the allegedly fraudulent entity.In another case in March, two businessmen, partners in a Karol Bagh-based firm that has been shut down and whose GST registration was surrendered in Nov 2022, alleged misuse of their firm’s identity in suspected fraudulent financial transactions.The complainants stated that they had received income-tax notices referencing alleged purchases amounting to Rs 9.8 crore by another business entity. They denied any business association or transaction with the said firm or its proprietor, asserting that the entries were fabricated.“The name and PAN of our firm have been misused by unknown persons to create fictitious purchase entries, resulting in serious legal and reputational harm to us,” the complainants said.All three cases were registered under sections of cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery, among others.
