STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam State GST Department intensified its campaign against alleged GST evasion in the bitumen trade by carrying out fresh raids at multiple business establishments in and around Guwahati as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) claims.
Officials conducted searches at Asphaltmix India LLP in Hajo and Associated Enterprise on A.T. Road in Guwahati. The firms are suspected of availing fraudulent ITC and engaging in illegal transactions involving bitumen. Authorities indicated that similar enforcement operations would continue in the coming days as the investigation expands.
The latest action followed a major joint operation undertaken earlier by the Assam State GST Department and the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police, during which eight persons were arrested from Bihar, West Bengal and Guwahati in connection with an alleged tax evasion network.
The coordinated operation, carried out simultaneously at multiple locations on the night of June 14, marked the first time the State GST Department had conducted such an enforcement exercise outside Assam.
Investigators alleged that three GST-registered firms involved in the bitumen trade had fraudulently claimed fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) exceeding Rs 47 crore by using fabricated invoices.
Also Read: Tax Evasion Crackdown: STF, GST Sleuths Nab 8 in Guwahati, Patna, Kolkata Raids