Latest news with #KailashBishnoi
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Kingpin in multi-state fake input tax credit scam lands in police net in Karnataka
Bengaluru: In a coordinated crackdown on tax fraud, the Karnataka commercial taxes department along with Rajasthan police apprehended the mastermind behind a bogus billing racket that enabled fraudulent input tax credit (ITC) claims, leading to significant losses in govt tax revenue. The accused, Kailash Bishnoi in his 20s, is a resident of Jalore district in Rajasthan. He was nabbed nearly seven months after he came under the radar of the officials from the South Zone and the vigilance wing of the commercial taxes department. According to sources, Bishnoi orchestrated the creation of fake GST registrations and bank accounts by fabricating Aadhaar cards and other identification documents. These forged credentials were used to issue tax invoices worth several hundred crores, primarily to aid the clandestine movement of metal scrap and enable recipients to claim bogus input tax credit. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Bishnoi's operations spanned multiple states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Working with a network of associates, he established numerous shell firms and issued fake tax invoices on a massive scale. He is accused of creating 17 fake firms within Karnataka, showing a turnover of Rs 208 crore. Through these entities, nearly Rs 39 crore worth of ineligible ITC was passed on to certain manufacturers, it is said. The gang's activities came to the fore in Sept 2023 when it tried to open 10 bank accounts under fake identities at HDFC bank in Murugeshpalya. The activity was flagged by the branch manager, prompting a complaint at Jeevanbhimanagar police station. Bishnoi's associate Rohit alias Rohtas was arrested in Dec 2024 from Jigani. The officials seized incriminating materials and digital evidence which provided leads pointing to the involvement of Bishnoi. "Every time we got close to Bishnoi, he managed to escape," sources said. Over the past six months, teams from the commercial taxes department and Bengaluru East division police made trips to Rajasthan in pursuit of him. "He remained elusive by moving across various states. He used 14 different phone numbers to avoid detection," sources added. The officials sought the help of Rajasthan's additional director general of police (crime) along with superintendent of police (Jalore) and succeeded in tracking Bishnoi, who was finally apprehended on the basis of a warrant issued by the special court for economic offences. Probe revealed that Bishnoi got into the fraudulent business to make quick bucks by exploiting the loopholes in the system. "We are yet to get more details from him about his operations in other states. We will also get details about the business entities from across the country that have used his services to cause revenue losses, running into hundreds of crores of rupees, to the exchequer," sources said.
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Commercial Tax Dept. unearths inter-State GST racket by nabbing Rajasthan ‘fake bill trader' who facilitated bogus input tax credit claim of ₹39 crore
Karnataka Commercial Taxes Department officials have unearthed a multi-State GST racket and arrested a Rajasthan-based 'fake bill trader' who had allegedly facilitated the fictitious transfer of input tax credit (ITC) of ₹39 crore under Goods and Services Tax (GST) to various manufacturers through fake firms in Karnataka. According to sources in the Commercial Taxes Department, fake bill trader Kailash Bishnoi, a resident of Jalore district in Rajasthan, was taken into custody in Bengaluru on Tuesday by a team comprising officers from the department's South Zone and Vigilance Division in coordination with the Bengaluru East police team. 17 fake firms Department sources said Bishnoi had created 17 fake firms in Karnataka that have shown a total turnover of ₹208 crore, based on which nearly ₹39 crore of ITC was passed on to some manufacturers. Sources noted that ₹39 crore was a financial burden caused by Bishnoi on Karnataka alone. Bishnoi was involved in the creation of fake GST registrations and bank accounts by fabricating Aadhaar cards, using which tax invoices were issued to the tune of several hundred crores to facilitate the fictitious movement of goods in metal scrap and facilitating the claim of bogus ITC by recipients, the department sources said. Investigation into the case is learnt to have revealed that he has operated in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, creating fake firms and issuing tax invoices in association with his team members. The total quantum of the fraud would be much higher if the losses caused to other States is taken into account, officials explained. The arrest of his associate Rohit alias Rohtash in December 2024 and gathering of several incriminating material and digital evidences pointing to their crime finally resulted in the department officials nailing Bishnoi. Many fake documents In September 2023, the accused, along with his accomplices, tried to open 10 bank accounts by providing fake names, Aadhaar cards and PAN cards in HDFC Bank's Murugeshpalya branch in Bengaluru. The bank's branch manager had noticed this and filed a complaint with the Jeevan Bima Nagar police. The investigation team of the Bengaluru East police and the Commercial Taxes Department visited Rajasthan twice to track Bishnoi in the last six months. But he remained elusive as he was on constant move, changing locations in multiple States and using 14 mobile phone numbers to evade being tracked, sources said. Finally, he was arrested on Tuesday by the warrant of the Special Court for Economic Offences, Bengaluru, and given custody for further inquiry. Officers of the Commercial Taxes Department are continuing their investigation and analysing his actions from various angles. Ninth such case Incidentally, this is the ninth such case being traced in the last 15 months by the Karnataka Commercial Taxes Department which is continuing its pursuit against such offences to ensure equitable taxation and safeguard the interests of both the State and its honest taxpayers.
