Hyderabad: Cyberabad Police uncovered a large GST fraud network that operated in eight states and cheated the government of ₹11.79 crore through fake Input Tax Credit (ITC) claims.
To carry out the scam, the accused created ten fake firms using forged Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, power bills, and rental papers. They used these documents to trick the GST portal and register bogus businesses.
After setting up the fake firms, the group obtained SIM cards with false IDs and completed OTP-based verification. They then issued fake invoices for purchases and sales without moving any goods. To make the fraud look real, they even generated 405 E-Waybills using genuine vehicle numbers but altered chassis details.
Overall, the gang created 52 fake firms and ran their operation across Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Gujarat. Using this setup, they showed ₹53.73 crore in fake turnover and claimed ₹11.79 crore in false ITC.
On November 12, police arrested two men. Sohil Muradali Lakhani alias Sonu (34) from Gujarat acted as the organiser and handled the money. Mohammed Akram Hasnuddin (43) from Hyderabad worked as the middleman and courier for documents.
However, three other suspects are still missing. They are Abdullah from Delhi, who led the gang, Syed Mujtaba Hussaini alias Azam, who handled tech tasks, and Ayiti Raja Shekar, the technical operator.
ACP S. Ravinder from the Economic Offences Wing is leading the investigation under the guidance of DCP A. Muthyam Reddy.