The Excise and Taxation Department of Himachal Pradesh is investigating over 150 agencies registered under fraudulent means in the state, following instructions from the Central Government. These agencies, which are suspected of committing GST fraud, are part of a larger nationwide crackdown on fake registrations. The full details of the investigation will be disclosed in the coming days, but this effort is part of a broader campaign launched by the Central Government to curb illegal GST activities across the country.
Since August 16, a special drive has been underway to monitor and investigate GST registrations, which has uncovered 67,970 suspicious accounts nationwide in just one and a half months. Of these, 39,965, or 59 percent, have been verified as of September 22. Himachal has been a key player in this campaign, as agencies from other states have increasingly been registering illegally to conduct business in the region.
This is not the first time Himachal has faced such issues. Last year, a significant GST fraud case involving Rs 10.49 crore was revealed in the state. The investigation at that time identified eight fake firms involved in tax evasion by creating fraudulent GST accounts. These firms, three of which were from Gujarat, had used fake Aadhaar card details to illegally register in Himachal Pradesh. After a thorough two-month investigation, the Excise and Taxation Department exposed this network, and 129 firms were placed under scrutiny.
The crackdown revealed the extent of the issue, with outside agencies exploiting Himachal’s system to evade taxes. The state’s excise authorities led a larger nationwide investigation based on their findings, and by May of this year, further fraudulent activities were exposed. This campaign helped prevent substantial GST revenue loss and ensured tighter controls on registrations.
Now, the Excise and Taxation Department is once again in full swing, with a renewed two-month campaign running from August 16 to October 15. During this period, registered firms across the country are under scrutiny to detect illegal activity. Himachal, which has been particularly impacted by outside interference, is once again playing a crucial role in this nationwide effort.
The investigation into these 150 agencies will reveal the extent of the fraud in Himachal, but authorities are confident that this new initiative will significantly reduce the leakage of GST revenue in the state.
