Sales tax officer accused of fraudulently clearing GST returns worth ₹175.93 crore

ACB registers case against Sales Tax Officer for fraudulently approving 39 proposals, refunding ₹175.93 crore; 16 companies involved in the scam.

Mumbai: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case against a Sales Tax Officer (STO) accused of fraudulently approving 39 proposals and refunding ₹175.93 crore for 16 businessmen. An internal inquiry by the Goods and Service Tax (GST) department, Government of Maharashtra, in which the irregularities came to the fore, leading to the registration of the case.

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The police said a case has been registered against Amit Giridhar Lalage, 44, currently serving as an STO in the GST Department in Mazgaon, and 16 companies whose proposals for returns had been allegedly fraudulently cleared by the STO.

According to the ACB officials, when he was posted in Ghatkopar between August 2021 and March 2022, with the help of the firms Lalage created forged rent agreements, and obtained GST numbers for the firms with the help of the businessmen.

“Though the traders did not pay any kind of tax to the government in the form of GST, they submitted 39 applications claiming refund which was to the tune of ₹175.93 crore. Lalage deliberately did not verify these applications and allowed the claims, even after the portal showed the claims were dubious,” said the police officer.

“We have registered a case against Lalage and the 16 companies under sections 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security) 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code and under section 7 (offences related to public servants) and 13 (criminal misconduct by public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,” said the police officer.