A vigilance investigation has uncovered an alleged ₹42 lakh Goods and Services Tax (GST) theft involving goods transported through railway parcel vans from Agra to other states, leading to corruption proceedings against three officials, including a former assistant commissioner of the Commercial Tax Department.
The case relates to goods booked through railway parcel vans where traders allegedly paid GST at the time of booking, but the tax amount was not properly deposited with the government. The matter surfaced after a complaint regarding goods worth ₹42 lakh that were sent through railway parcel vans in 2022.
Vigilance Probe Leads to Action Against Three Officials
According to the report, the vigilance investigation found evidence against then Assistant Commissioner Sandeep Kumar Singh, Commercial Tax Officer Devesh Pandey and then transport contractor Aslam Qureshi.
Following the investigation, permission was obtained from the government to initiate proceedings against the officials and contractor. A corruption case has subsequently been registered against the three.
The complaint was initially made to the government in 2023 over alleged GST theft involving goods transported through railway parcel vans. The government ordered an open vigilance inquiry into the matter.
The inquiry found that goods worth ₹42 lakh had been loaded into a parcel van at Agra Cantonment railway station on the morning of September 29, 2022.
The complainant, Ravi Gandhi, had informed the then Assistant Commissioner Sandeep Kumar Singh and Commercial Tax Officer Devesh Pandey that the goods were being sent through the passenger terminal railway station and were allegedly being transported by contractor Aslam Qureshi.
Officials Allegedly Failed to Act Despite Complaint
The report states that Assistant Commissioner Sandeep Kumar Singh, Commercial Tax Officer Devesh Pandey and other officials reached the railway station after receiving the information.
However, by the time they arrived, the parcel van was allegedly found empty. The railway department’s records indicated that the goods had already been loaded into the van at around 11.40 am on September 29, 2022.
Despite repeated complaints, no action was allegedly taken against the parcel van at the time.
During the vigilance investigation, it was found that the value of goods transported through the parcel van by Aslam Qureshi was about ₹2 lakh, while the GST department’s investigation assessed the total value of the goods at ₹42 lakh.
Investigators subsequently found prima facie evidence against the officials and the contractor, following which permission was obtained to register a case.
Alleged Scam Involved Fake Scanning of Parcels
The investigation also examined the system used for scanning goods at the transporter’s parcel station. According to the report, every parcel was supposed to be scanned before being transported, with the trader required to pay ₹10 to the railway for each scan.
The scanning arrangement reportedly generated around ₹3 lakh in monthly revenue for the railway.
The vigilance investigation found that the transporter allegedly did not scan goods that were meant to be transported through parcel vans. Instead, parcels were allegedly shown as scanned through fraudulent means, resulting in alleged losses to the railway.
SP Vigilance Alok Sharma said the open inquiry report had been sent to the government. After receiving government permission, a corruption case was registered against three GST officials and the transporter. He said that if evidence against other officials emerges during the investigation, they would also be made accused in the case.
