GST officer arrested over Rs 1.34 crore assets

ROURKELA:  Assistant Commercial Tax and GST officer of Rourkela Circle-I Alekha Mohananda was arrested by Vigilance for amassing disproportionate assets on Wednesday. Reliable sources in Rourkela Vigilance Division informed that the GST officer’s immovable and movable property were valued at around `1.34 crore of which `87.98 lakh was found to be disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Rourkela Vigilance SP SC Swain said Mohananda was arrested after a case was registered against him. He was taken to Sundargarh town for production in the court of Special Vigilance Judge. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Vigilance sleuths had conducted raids at Mohananda’s residential building at Chhend Colony and office at Uditnagar in Rourkela and two other places in Sundargarh district. Mohananda was part of a State GST enforcement team which on Monday arrested two persons here for GST fraud amounting to around `42 crore by raising false purchase and sale invoices worth `233 crore.

Meanwhile, the Central GST (Intelligence) authorities arrested another person in connection with tax fraud on the day. He was identified as Ejaj Ahemad (54) of Rourkela. Ejaj was arrested from his hiding place at Jharsuguda and brought to Rourkela. He was produced in Panposh SDJM court and sent to judicial custody.

Ejaj had fraudulently availed Input Tax Credit (ITC) of `5.02 crore against fake invoices of around `27.90 crore. Similarly, he had raised fake invoices of around `20 crore to fraudulently pass ITC benefits of `4 crore. Ejaj was involved in the Central GST fraud of `40 crore by raising fake purchase and sale invoices to the tune of around `262 crore. On December 16, another member of the racket Santosh Gupta (45) of Rourkela was arrested by Central GST officials.