The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Saturday presented Shiv Kumar Deora, Mohit Deora, and Amit Gupta before the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in connection with a massive Rs800 crore GST fraud. The three traders were arrested in Kolkata following extensive questioning on Friday, and they were remanded to judicial custody.
According to ED sources, the arrests are part of an ongoing investigation into a large-scale fake invoicing racket. Earlier, the agency conducted coordinated search operations at nine locations across Jharkhand and West Bengal, which also led to the apprehension of another key suspect, Amit Agrawal.
Investigators claim the accused generated fraudulent invoices amounting to an astounding Rs14,325 crore, facilitating the illegal claim of over Rs800 crore in input tax credit (ITC) under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system. The ED suspects that the scam involved a complex network of shell companies and dummy firms that played a central role in the fraudulent activities.
The special court has scheduled the next hearing for May 13, during which additional evidence and remand requests may be presented.
This crackdown is part of the ED’s broader efforts to tackle GST-related financial crimes, which have been on the rise in recent years. Authorities are also investigating possible links between the accused and other business entities across India involved in similar activities.
