GST fraud case: Orissa HC rejects bail pleas of three accused
In the state GST fraud case to the tune of Rs 316.33 crore at Rourkela, the Orissa High Court has turned down the bail pleas of the three main accused.
Published: 11th April 2023 11:11 AM | Last Updated: 11th April 2023 11:11 AM | A+A A-
Orissa High Court
ROURKELA: In the state GST fraud case to the tune of Rs 316.33 crore at Rourkela, the Orissa High Court has turned down the bail pleas of the three main accused. A single judge bench of Justice G Satapathy on April 5 rejected the bail pleas of Dhanman Shaw, Ram Bharose Shaw and Chhattar Singh along with two other accused Manoj Pandey and Subhas Kandulna. All the accused are lodged in Rourkela special jail since their arrest on July 6, 2022.
Prosecution sources said GST fraud of around `316.33 was committed between July, 2017 and November, 2019 and eight persons were involved in it. Non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against three other absconding offenders. Dhanman, his brother Ram Bharose and Singh were the primes accused in the case.
They had used Sairam Ingot Private Limited, a fictitious entity, Swastik Ingot Private Limited and Sunayana Metal Industries Limited had claimed, utilised and passed bogus input tax credit (ITC) through forged documents of numerous non-existent and ghost business entities created and operated by them.
The accused had acted individually and in collusion issuing fake invoices and bills to each other without actual supply of goods and services. Investigators claimed Sairam Ingot is a fictitious company controlled by the Shaw brothers and other family members.
The non-existent company was used to pass on bogus ITC worth crores of rupees to Swastik Ingot and Sunanya Metal, both real manufacturing units, which were also controlled by the Shaw family. Investigators claimed Dhanman was the creator and operator of 19 non-existent ghost business entities.
Similarly, Ram Bharose had created and operated 17 ghost business entities stealing the identities of poor and ignorant persons and in collusion with the other accused securing bogus ITC of Rs 212.88 crore.
Chhattar was accused of creating and operating 10 non-existent and ghost business entities and using the same modus operandi as the other accused managed to secure bogus ITC of Rs 105.77 crore.
