Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Following the arrest of tax evaders by the police, an FIR was lodged by the Commissionerate of State Goods and Services Tax, Assam. The FIR against the 7 tax-evading transporters was lodged at the STF police station.
The individuals, being proprietors of transport or logistics businesses, were found to be involved in the movement of taxable goods without proper documentation, in violation of the provisions of the Assam Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (AGST Act).
The individuals against whom FIR was lodged are Md. Neshar, proprietor of M/s Baba Logistics; Tripurari Pathak, proprietor and Abhishek Singh, in charge of M/s Bharat Conveyer; Mithun Kumar, in charge of M/s Fast & Safe Transsolution; Fakrul Islam and Sunil Yadav, both in charge of Super Transsolution; Bishwajit Borgohain, in charge of M/s DM Associates; Rubul Saikia, transport operator of M/s Right Choice Logistics; and Suresh Swami, in charge of SBGC logistics operations.
On the basis of confidential intelligence inputs, teams from the GST Intelligence & Enforcement Wing, Assam, conducted a surprise inspection at the Azara Railway Yard, Guwahati, and Paltan Bazar Railway Yard.
After goods trains arrived from outside Assam and while goods were being unloaded from the trains onto trucks, those were intercepted. At the time of interception, the drivers failed to produce complete valid GST documents such as E-Way Bill, Tax Invoice, Manifest, Consignment Note, Railway Receipt, etc.
Although some documents were later presented, they could not present any documents against some of the goods in the seized vehicle with GST norms. Hence, for proper verification, the detained vehicles and goods were taken to Assam State Warehousing Corporation (ASWC), Boragaon and Kar Bhawan.
On detailed verification at ASWC, Boragaon, many irregularities were detected which reflect a systematic modus operandi aimed at evading tax liability during inter-state transportation. The pattern points towards habitual white-collar economic offences conducted by these individuals and their logistics entities, transporting huge quantities of goods without any documents, which also constitutes dealing in stolen property. Moreover, the transporters/railway vendors that are involved in the movement of such goods are guilty of criminal breach of trust in collaboration with the consignee and consignor of these goods within the purview of offences under sections 316(2)(5)/318(4)/336(3)/340(1)(2)/317(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The offences are said to have a direct impact on state revenue, so FIRs were lodged against the above-named individuals. Their acts constitute deliberate evasion of GST without documentation, warranting a thorough investigation for movements of stolen goods and without proper documentation by the above-named individuals and several other persons.
Besides the above individuals, it is learnt that several other individuals/transporters are also involved in such interstate transportation of goods without proper/relevant documents in deliberate commission of criminal breach of trust.
The Commissionerate said that verification is going on, and if more such irregularities are detected, then more FIRs will be lodged.
Such search and seizure/arrest of such unscrupulous taxpayers will create deterrence for such activities, and it will make them think twice before indulging in such activities. Therefore, interception of vehicles to detect such anomalies will continue. It is a message to all such taxpayers not to indulge in such malpractices; otherwise they will have to face the consequences, the Commissionerate warned.
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