State GST arrests mastermind of 53 crore rupee bogus billing

State GST department of Chhattisgarh, Raipur, carried out a major action under a special campaign against fake billing and bogus input tax credit (ITC). It arrested the chief accused and mastermind Vijay Kumar Yadav on July 20, 2026 for a bogus billing scheme of Rs 53 crore that resulted in a tax fraud of Rs 9.54 crore. The accused was sent to judicial remand until August 3, 2026 after being presented in court. Initial investigation revealed that the accused operated two firms, Messrs Maya Steel and Enterprise and Messrs Myra Steel Enterprises, to create fake invoices. Through these firms, about Rs 53 crore of bogus billing was used to generate Rs 9.54 crore of fraudulent ITC, which was transferred to various firms. Further investigation found that the accused claimed and used the fake ITC obtained from closed and fictitious firms to pay his own tax liabilities. Major irregularities uncovered include: false ITC claims of Rs 6.13 crore through Form ITC‑02 from ten firms whose GST registrations had been cancelled or that were related parties without any real merger, de‑merger or amalgamation; false ITC claims of Rs 1.99 crore from nine firms in Punjab and other states whose GST registrations were cancelled or non‑existent with no actual supply of goods; and an additional ITC claim of Rs 1.41 crore by claiming more ITC in GSTR‑3B than in GSTR‑2B without any real purchase. According to the investigation, the accused not only transferred Rs 9.54 crore of fake ITC to other firms but also claimed and used the same amount for himself, abusing the ITC system without any real sale or purchase, causing revenue loss to the government.