A shocking case of financial fraud has come to light, where the Maharashtra government was duped of Rs 4.69 crore through the submission of bogus documents for GST registration. The name of Gajanan Lad, a State Tax Officer, has surfaced in this scam, raising serious questions about the integrity of the tax administration.
According to sources, Lad was in charge of the Kurla, Ghatkopar, and Mazgaon divisions during his tenure. During this period, a private firm named Messrs Interscribe Market Pvt. Ltd. allegedly submitted fake and forged documents to secure GST registration. The company, which had not paid any tax to the government, had filed an application claiming a pending GST refund of Rs 4.69 crore.
It was Lad’s responsibility to verify the authenticity of the company’s documents and application. However, without conducting any due diligence, he allegedly abused his official position and approved the GST refund. Reports suggest that Lad, in connivance with the company officials, facilitated the fraudulent clearance of the GST amount.
Using the falsified documents, the company, with Lad’s assistance, managed to siphon off the GST refund despite not being eligible. The scam only came to light during an audit, following which the State Sales Tax Department lodged a formal complaint with the Mumbai Unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
During the ACB’s preliminary inquiry, it was confirmed that Lad had colluded with the company's fake officials to orchestrate this financial scam. Based on these findings, the ACB has registered a case against Lad under multiple sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 — including Sections 7, 12, 13(1)(a), and 13(2) — as well as under IPC Sections 109, 403, 409, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 477(A).
Investigators are now probing whether any other government officials or staff were involved in the scam, the exact share of the fraudulent amount received by Lad and his accomplices, and how the swindled money was used.