GUWAHATI: Trishna Barman, the key accused arrested from Siliguri, West Bengal, in connection with an alleged fake input tax credit (ITC) racket involving more than ₹25 crore, was brought to Guwahati on Tuesday morning, July 21, on transit remand.
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She is likely to be produced before a court in Guwahati on Wednesday, where her custody is expected to be sought for further questioning in connection with the probe, officials said.
A resident of Barama in Assam’s Baksa district, Barman is accused of creating a network of fake firms to issue fraudulent tax invoices and facilitate the illegal circulation of fake ITC.
She had been absconding from Assam and was apprehended from a hotel in Siliguri after a three-day search operation during which she frequently changed locations to evade arrest. The operation was carried out by the GST Intelligence and Enforcement Unit, Assam, with assistance from the Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police and was led by officer Monuj Kr Dowari.
Her brother, Surajit Barman, who is also alleged to be involved in the multi-crore fake ITC scam, remains absconding. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend him.
The GST Intelligence and Enforcement Unit, Assam, is also searching for Shubhrajit Bhattacharya, a resident of Kolkata, who is suspected to be the mastermind in the fake invoicing network.
The arrest is being viewed as a significant development in the investigation into alleged GST fraud activities involving multiple entities across state borders.