Five Arrested in ₹150 Crore Fake GST Bill Scam in Nagpur
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Nagpur, India: The Nagpur Crime Branch has caught a gang involved in a fake GST bill fraud worth over ₹150 crore. Five people, including the main leaders, have been arrested, while some others are still on the run.
The arrested include Santosh alias Bunty Rampal Sahu (52), his brother Jayesh Rampal Sahu (36), Brijkishor Ramniwas Maniyar (59), Rishi Hitesh Lakhani (21), and Anand Vinod Harde (33). Their partners Avinash Sahu, Rajesh Sahu, and Anshul Mishra are absconding.
The gang created more than 70 fake companies, called shell companies, using the names of poor people who did not know about it. They used these companies to make fake GST bills and cheat the government.
One victim, Biswajit Roy, came from West Bengal to Nagpur for work. The gang tricked him into giving his Aadhaar and PAN card. They opened a fake company called Kshitij Enterprises in his name and made fake bills worth ₹96.39 crore in just three months. When Roy protested, he was threatened.
They also created another fake company called Avadh Enterprise using the identity of Roy’s friend, and made fake bills of ₹59.51 crore through it.
The gang also ran online gambling, illegal money transfers (hawala), and cricket betting. They withdrew crores of rupees in cash every day, sometimes with help from some bank officials who ignored rules.
The police say Bunty Sahu and Brijkishor Maniyar are the main masterminds. Bunty has a criminal record and was once involved in stealing scrap. Maniyar acted as a GST consultant and helped run the fake bill business. Anshul Mishra is another key member working closely with Maniyar.
The Crime Branch began investigating after Biswajit Roy filed a complaint. A case was registered at Lakadganj police station. Police are still searching for the absconding members and continuing their probe.
Earlier, Lokmat Times had reported about this fake GST bill scam three months ago, but no strong action was taken at that time.
This case warns people to be careful about their identity documents and shows the need for stricter laws to stop financial fraud.
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