ED raids nine sites over ₹800 crore scam

Ranchi

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided nine locations in Jharkhand and West Bengal on Thursday as part of a major probe into a ₹800 crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) scam. The scam involves fake input tax credit (ITC) claims made using bogus GST invoices.

Four places were searched in Jharkhand—three in Ranchi and one in Jamshedpur. Five other sites were raided in West Bengal. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) teams were also present to ensure safety during the searches.

Sources say the scam involves a group of businessmen who created fake firms to issue false GST invoices worth ₹14,325 crore. These invoices were used to claim tax credits without actual business activity. After claiming the tax benefit, the fake companies were shut down.

The ED is investigating several individuals, including Shivkumar Deora, Sumit Gupta, and Amit Gupta. Important documents were seized during the raids and are now being reviewed for more proof.

While ED had earlier conducted raids in Bengal last year in this case, Thursday marked the first major crackdown in Jharkhand.

The GST Directorate had previously found ₹100 crore in fake claims during raids in Ramgarh and Dhanbad, and another ₹150 crore scam in Jamshedpur and the Adityapur industrial belt.

The total scam value revealed so far shows a deep-rooted fraud network involving shell companies and forged documents.

As of now, the ED has not issued an official statement. The investigation is still ongoing, and further action is expected once the seized documents are examined in detail.