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The GST scam refers to fraudulent activities involving the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India
State GST authorities have discovered a new scheme in which 1,500 Aadhar cards were fraudulently used to generate fake GST registration numbers in the last eight months.
On February 7, the department conducted a search at the sites of the suspected businesses, including those in Surat, Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Anand and Rajkot. Documents such as Aadhaar and PAN cards are being used to update the Android mobile application, it was discovered during operations conducted in more than 75 institutions in Surat.
An Aadhar card user in Surat with Palitana residential address is unaware of the GST registration and PAN number obtained in his name by changing the phone number linked to Aadhaar.
The GST department conducted a search operation in Palitana and seized mobile phones, laptops and other digital devices on Aadhaar basis. "Many residents said that in the name of government assistance, they were taken to the Aadhaar office in Palitana and their fingerprints were taken," the department said.
According to the department, "after verification of these seized devices, it was determined that more than 1,500 Aadhaar cards have changed phone numbers in the last eight months," adding that 470 GST records have been found which were obtained from this process is illegal. Among them, Gujarat has 118 records while the rest are from other states. "Thus, a new modus operandi for obtaining a false GST number has come to the attention," he continued.
A survey of 75 companies based in Surat revealed that 61 of them were practicing fraudulent billing practices. 12 out of 24 businesses found in Ahmedabad were found to be operating illegally.
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