Gujarat: Is the Bhavnagar fake billing case a multi-state scam?

AHMEDABAD: The Bhavnagar fake billing scam involving tampering with Aadhaar cards to obtain bogus GST identification numbers (GSTINs) and illicitly receive input tax credit (ITC) is turning out to be a multi-state scam.
The state goods and services tax (SGST) department investigating the case has found that Aadhaar data was manipulated to get GST registrations from different states, informed sources said.
"The department officials have found that fake GST registrations were made in Maharashtra, Bihar, and New Delhi, among others. The department has notified respective state departments to probe the matter further," said a source, adding: "The department has identified 2,821 GST registrations that were obtained using tampered Aadhaar cards."
Following a fake billing scam involving bogus metal scrap trading firms in Bhavnagar, SGST officials raided two Aadhaar centres in Palitana and Bhavnagar this February. During the investigation, data from 2,800 Aadhaar cards were found to be tampered with.
A special investigation team was formed by state DGP, Vikas Sahay, to probe the multi-crore scam. On Thursday, the police arrested Nadeem Qureshi, a resident of Bhavnagar. After being arrested, he was presented before the additional chief metropolitan magistrate and was remanded to two days in police custody.
Qureshi was involved in preparing files for GST registrations after tampering with documents. Some 23 persons have been arrested in connection with the fake billing scam.
The state department is still probing the total turnover of the scam which has surfaced. "This is a new modus operandi adopted by scamsters to obtain fake GST registrations, generate bogus bills, and fraudulently obtain input tax credit and evade taxes," a top source said. "These GST registrations are being scrutinized further."