Surat: The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) on Saturday arrested two persons in connection with a bogus input tax credit (ITC) racket in Gujarat involving fraudulent claims worth Rs 30 crore.Those arrested are Rohit Sanghani, a Jamnagar-based tax consultant and advocate, and Vishal Gondaliya, proprietor of R D Enterprise, Jamnagar. Both were produced in court and sent to judicial custody.“It is an uncommon action by DGGI in which a tax consultant and advocate was arrested for aiding the fraudulent availing of ITC. The accused facilitated the other accused,” said Imran Malek, the lawyer representing DGGI.The investigation, initiated by DGGI’s Surat Zonal Unit in Nov, identified several non-genuine taxpayers in Surat, including Maniyar Enterprises, Balaji Enterprises, Vaghela Industrial, Veer Exports and Capital Tea. These entities were found to be availing of and passing on fraudulent GST ITC, prompting further scrutiny.The probe led officials to Jamnagar, where a search earlier this month revealed that ITC worth Rs 23 crore had been claimed fraudulently. Searches at Gondaliya’s premises resulted in the seizure of digital devices, including mobile phones and tablets, from his residence on Ranjitsagar Road.Further investigation uncovered Sanghani’s role. He allegedly facilitated the creation of fake entities and issued bogus bills and e-way bills from his office at Sidhivinayak Business Centre, earning commissions for arranging fraudulent ITC claims worth crores.
