₹144 crore inter-state bogus GST billing racket busted

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Ludhiana zone, claimed to have busted an inter-state ₹144 crore bogus billing racket, wherein the accused had availed input tax credit (ITC) of over ₹26 crore by creating fictitious firms.
Simultaneous raids were conducted at 16 locations in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab on Thursday with local teams being part of the operation. No arrest has yet been made in the case and investigation is going on. The teams recovered ₹80 lakh during the raids.
According to information, the accused used to transfer fake bills to two trading firms in Mandi Gobindgarh (Punjab) by creating eight fictitious firms in Delhi and three in Haryana. The firms were shown to be dealing in iron and steel scrap.
An official said eight fictitious firms based out of Delhi were found to be involved in circular trading and were passing on ITC fraudulently to another set of three shell firms shown to be operating from Haryana.
The Delhi-based firms showed fake supply of goods valued at more than ₹144 crore involving ITC of over ₹26 crore. The firms in Haryana were further passing on ITC to two trading firms in Mandi Gobindgarh.
The Punjab firms availed ITC amounting to ₹18.5 crore from three Haryana firms and are further passing on the same to various furnaces in the state. The officials suspect that more firms are involved in the racket.
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Karnataka rain: Amid red alert, holiday for schools, colleges in these districts
Owing to continuous rain, educational institutions in several parts of Karnataka will remain shut on Thursday. Top officials in the 4 districts of Karnataka - namely Udupi, Kodagu, Hassan and Uttara Kannada -- have declared holiday for Anganwadi schools and colleges amid the 'red alert' issued by the weather department. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted extremely heavy rain, ranging above 204.5 mm for these 4 cities.
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‘Do not sacrifice cattle for Bakrid festival,’ says Karnataka Minister
Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu B Chavan appealed to people not to sacrifice cattle for the Bakrid festival while warning of stern action against the offenders. The Minister emphasised the Cow Slaughter Prohibition Act has already been in force in Karnataka. Generally, during the Bakrid festival, there is a tradition of sacrifice, for which livestock such as cow, ox, calf and camels are also used, said Chavan.
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Synthetic running track on Sukhna Lake gets Chandigarh administrator’s nod
Chandigarh Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday gave in-principle approval for a synthetic running track at Sukhna Lake. UT adviser Dharam Pal, said, “The Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee had earlier given its go-ahead for the proposal. Next, the detailed plan and cost estimates will be prepared; and then, tenders will be floated for the project.” A UT official said the proposed track is part of the administration's efforts to give Sukhna Lake a major facelift.
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Soon, 2 over-bridges to cut travel time between Kalka, Zirakpur
The National Highway Authority of India has approved two over-bridges, which are likely to reduce travel time between Kalka and Zirakpur and alleviate traffic jams on the stretch by next year. NHAI has already floated tenders for the 60-m wide over-bridges, which will be constructed at a cost of ₹50 crore. It has invited bids for the “construction and site improvement of the four-lane national highway (NH-22) on the Zirakpur-Parwanoo junction.”
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Close shave for 15 students as bus skids into waterlogged ditch in Zirakpur
Fifteen students had a narrow escape after their school bus skidded into a waterlogged open drain in Daulat Singhwala village in Phabat area of Zirakpur. The bus, which was ferrying students of Blue Bird High School, Sector 16, Panchkula, was making way for another school bus when it skidded into the overflowing drain. The bus tilted in the drain, but passersby and parents were able to rescue the children through the driver's window.