Bhubaneswar: A major financial fraud involving the misappropriation of government funds has come to light, with the Odisha Vigilance arresting three individuals, including a government official, for their alleged roles in a Rs 4.03 crore VAT refund scam.
According to an official press release, the accused persons, Satyaki Pattanaik and Deeptikanta Choudhury (private individuals), along with Abinash Pradhan, a staff member of the CT & GST Department, Bhubaneswar (currently posted as Assistant Commercial Tax Officer (ACTO) in Jeypore), were apprehended following an extensive Vigilance inquiry.
During investigation it was revealed that the accused colluded with other CT & GST officials to fraudulently obtain a VAT refund of Rs 4.03 crore by tampering with financial documents and submitting forged statutory forms. They impersonated authorized representatives of M/s G.E Verona T&D Ltd (formerly GE T&D India Ltd) to siphon off the funds.
Based on the findings, a criminal case under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC, including charges of forgery, impersonation, and criminal conspiracy, has been registered.
The arrests were made after sufficient evidence linked the accused persons to the crime. All three were presented before the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar, on Thursday.
The Vigilance Department stated that further investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals involved in the scam.
