Traders say booked for no fault, top cop orders probe

Ludhiana: A day after the state GST department claimed to have unearthed a big tax evasion network and lodged an FIR against two transporters, five drivers and at least 10 hosiery and garment manufacturers, all 10 manufacturers reached the office of commissioner of police Kaustubh Sharma to demand an inquiry, saying that they have been booked without any fault.
The manufacturers claimed that they have the bills of all of their cartons transported by the accused transporters and a fair probe should be conducted to fix the responsibility and find the guilty.
The manufacturers produced bills of their products claiming that they have been booked in the case despite having the bills. They also alleged that there are some other traders who are at fault, but no action has been taken against them.
Police commissioner Kaustubh Sharma said the manufacturers had visited him to seek a probe into the FIR lodged against them at Dugri police station based on the complaint of an SGST official.
“The manufacturer presented some bills claiming they have paid GST and therefore they have the bills. They also alleged that the transporter forged the bills for some other manufacturers who have not been booked. I have also talked to the GST official about it and the facts will be verified. Assistant commissioner of police (South) Vaibhav Sehgal will probe the matter,” Sharma said.
The Dugri police on Saturday had lodged an FIR against transporter Hardeep Singh, drivers Sukhwinder Sigh, Jaswinder Singh, Angrej Singh, Jasbeer Singh, Vikram Singh and at least 10 hosiery and garment manufacturers under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 470 (forged document), 474 (having forged document disrobed in 466 or 46, knowing it to be forged and intending to use it as genuine), 34 (Act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 120-B (Criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.