Thiruvananthapuram, 1 October (IANS) Leader of Opposition VD Satheson on Wednesday demanded an inquiry into a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the GST-related scam in Kerala, alleging that a single group cheated a single group of Rs 1,100 crore.
Speaking to the media, Satheson claimed that the names of common people were registered without their consent, while the collection and payment of GST was rooted through fraudsters.
He said that the scam was found by Pune Intelligence, but the only action of the state government so far is to cancel the registration.
“The state’s treasury has already suffered a loss of Rs 200 crore. The money that should have been reached to the Treasury has not been recovered. Most of the affected people, who used records, are not even income tax payers. Also, the state government has not informed them, as they are responsible for receiving notices from IT officials, as they are called as transactions for the rupee as a transaction for the rupee.” He further revealed that informal reports show that about 1,000 such frauds are happening in the same way.
Increasing concerns about the government, Sathasan criticized the GST administration for failing to ensure the integrity of registration data. “This is not just tax evasion; it is also a data theft. A section of GST officials is allegedly colliding with fraudsters,” he said.
In view of the scale and complexity of the scam, Satheson called for an independent CBI inquiry to highlight the entire limit of fraud and capture those responsible accountables.
He alleged that the state government was trying to make a planned effort to protect the officers involved, and emphasized that only a fair investigation could restore public belief.
The demand of the opposition leader has intensified political pressure on the government, which highlights serious flaws in the inspection and administration of Kerala’s GST system.
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SG/DPB