Police Wednesday arrested two masterminds in a GST scam, who allegedly caused losses to the government by fraudulently availing input tax credit. Officers said both accused, Sonipat residents Ajay Sharma (28) and Sanjay Jindal (38), are Haryana-based businessmen and had claimed a total of over Rs 26 crore from the government as part of the scam. DCP (crime) Shakti Avasthy, who led the probe, said Sanjay is the owner/director of Brownie Metal and Alloys Pvt Ltd, which allegedly claimed a credit of Rs 17 crore. Avasthy said that the fraud was being committed by using fake Aadhaar and PAN cards. He said over 2,600 bogus firms were created to execute the scam, which goes into hundreds of crores. Since the case was busted last June, a total of 30 people have been arrested; Sharma and Jindal are the original beneficiaries, said the officer. “Together, they caused a loss of over Rs 26 crore to the Government of India. A reward of Rs 25,000 was declared on their arrest,” said Avasthy. The duo have been booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467, 468 and 471 (all related to forgery), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), police said.
