VIGILANCE BUREAU ARRESTS ABSCONDING ACCUSED IN BOGUS TAX COLLECTION SCAM AT STATE CHECK POST
ACCUSED PROVIDED LINK OF FORGED SOFTWARE ALIKE E-PARIVHAN SOFTWARE OF TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT
Chandigarh May 9:
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested an absconding accused namely Satpal Choudhary, a resident of village Murtzabad (Satbagri), Palwal district in Haryana who was evading his arrest after the high court has dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.
He was wanted in a scam for usurping tax collections being collected from commercial vehicles entering in the state at Tax Collection Centre, Jharmari, Lalru in SAS Nagar district by using fake computer software as well as bogus stamps/seals.
Disclosing this here a spokesperson of the VB said in this regard a case under FIR No. 08, dated 08.06.2022 under Sections 420, 465, 467, 471,120 B of IPC and 7, 7A, 13(1) (A), 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, had already been registered at Police Station Vigilance Bureau, FS-1, Punjab, Mohali. In this case three accused persons namely Harpal Singh of village Hasanpur, Fatehabad in Haryana, Salinder Singh of village Bishanpura, Zirakpur and Praveen Kumar village Khanpur, Kharar, SAS Nagar district had already been arrested who were using fake computer software as well as bogus stamps/seals at this interstate tax collection centre. The said accused Satpal Choudhary, an accomplice of said officials, was also nominated in this case as an accused for delivering link of forged software alike e-Parivhan software of the Transport Department.
Giving more details of this scam he informed that around 2000 commercial vehicles as well as new chassis of commercial vehicles enter Punjab from outside the State daily. These vehicles have to pay tax for entering or passing through Punjab, which could be paid online by the driver/owner of the vehicle concerned or deposited with the staff posted at the said check post.
The spokesperson added that the officials deputed at the RTA Check Post at Jharmari have to collect due amount of tax after filling the requisite details, including registration number and type of the vehicle, in the e-Parivhan software.
He further added that it was mandatory to deposit the collected amount with the State exchequer. However, these officials, with the intent to usurp the money, had developed a fake software similar to the original one and used it to collect taxes due from the commercial vehicles and generate bogus receipts for the owners/drivers of the vehicles.
The spokesperson informed that the income thus generated was being pocketed by these accused since long causing a loss of lakhs of rupees to the State exchequer. “Not only this, they have also fabricated stamps/seals to be affixed on the receipts to convince the vehicle drivers/owners of the genuineness of the same,” he added.
