Anshul Mishra, named as accused number eight in the high-profile Rs 800 crore GST scam, was granted ad-interim anticipatory bail by sessions court on Monday.
The case, registered at Lakadganj police station, involves allegations of fraud to evade Goods and Services Tax (GST) by floating around 86 fake companies and issuing bogus orders, invoices of supply, receipts, various challans, transport bills, and so on.
During the hearing, Mishra’s counsel, advocates argued that their client had no involvement in the alleged fraud. The defence emphasised that Mishra, a substantial taxpayer contributing crores in taxes, including GST, was wrongly accused. The counsel pointed out that the First Information Report (FIR) primarily identifies Bunty Sahu and his brother as the main perpetrators. They further noted that Mishra fully cooperated during a police search of his residence, reinforcing his innocence.
The court, after considering the submissions, granted interim anticipatory bail to Mishra and issued notice to the investigating agency to file its reply by June 2.
The scam, initially reported as a Rs 155 crore fraud, escalated to Rs 800 crore, involving 86 fake firms used for tax evasion and money laundering, allegedly linked to betting and online gaming. Five individuals, including Bunty Sahu and Jayesh Sahu, were arrested, while Mishra and others remain under scrutiny.
The investigation, led by senior inspector Kamlakar Gaddime under DCP Rahul Maknikar, continues to unravel the financial cartel’s operations, with more arrests expected.
Source #TOI
