Assam: GST Team Raids Trishna Barman's Timber Shop in Rs 25 Crore Fake ITC Scam Probe

Guwahati: The probe into the alleged Rs 25 crore fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) scam in Assam picked up pace on Thursday after officials of the GST Intelligence and Enforcement Unit (GIEU) carried out a thorough search operation at a timber shop belonging to prime accused Trishna Barman, located at Barazar under Barama in Baksa district.

The raid is part of the ongoing investigation into a suspected fake invoicing racket that officials believe was used to fraudulently route input tax credit through a web of shell firms. Authorities said the exercise was intended to collect documents and material evidence connected to the alleged fraud.

Meanwhile, Barman's brother Surajit Barman, named as an alleged accomplice in the case, continues to evade arrest. Another suspected associate, identified as Shubrajit, is also untraced. Officials said efforts are on to track down both individuals as the probe moves forward.

The case had come to light after the Assam GST Intelligence and Enforcement Unit apprehended Trishna Barman from Siliguri in West Bengal in connection with the nearly Rs 25 crore fake ITC racket.

According to investigators, she had been evading arrest for days by repeatedly shifting locations, before being finally traced to a hotel in Siliguri after a three-day operation based on specific inputs.

Barman, a resident of Barama in Baksa district and an MBA graduate from Bengaluru, is accused of running several shell companies that issued fake GST invoices to illegally claim and pass on input tax credit. Her arrest was executed by the GIEU, Assam, with assistance from the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police, led by officer Monuj Kr Dowari.

She was subsequently produced before a court in West Bengal for transit remand and is now being brought to Guwahati for further questioning.

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