GST Officials Uncover Rs 48 Crore Tax Evasion in Gujarat Copper Trading Case

Gujarat’s state GST department has uncovered a tax evasion case amounting to over Rs 48 crore during a search and seizure operation targeting 14 copper trading firms. The operation, which spanned multiple cities including Surat, Rajkot, Bharuch, Vapi, Junagadh, and Bhavnagar, revealed widespread irregularities in the purchase records of these firms. Sandeep Anwar Virani, a partner at Surat-based Fortune Copper Industries, was arrested for allegedly evading GST of Rs 19.5 crore. The court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate has remanded Virani for interrogation. Investigations revealed that the firms engaged in large-scale tax evasion by recording bogus purchases of copper, with four fake entities identified as part of the fraudulent network. The department has blocked Input Tax Credit (ITC) worth Rs 1.93 crore and executed asset attachments valued at Rs 4.46 crore to secure government revenue. This crackdown is part of ongoing efforts to curb tax evasion and ensure compliance with GST regulations.