The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday has begun searches at 23 locations in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Veraval, Rajkot, Surat, and Kodinar in Gujarat. This action is taken as part of a case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Dhruvi Enterprises and others.
Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) Ahmedabad lodged a case on October 7 about GST fraud, with Dhruvi Enterprises being the central entity involved.
The searches were carried out following the Ahmedabad Crime Branch’s filing of an FIR based on a complaint from the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI). This was initiated to investigate the establishment of over 220 shell entities by a group of organised criminals, who allegedly engaged in fraudulent activities to obtain and transfer input tax credits (ITCs) through fake invoices, all without supplying any goods or services.
Since the FIR at the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) police station in Ahmedabad was filed for offences of fraud and forgery, which are classified as scheduled offences under the PMLA, the case was taken up for investigation in accordance with its provisions.
Police remand for all eight accused in this case ends tomorrow (October 18).
It includes four individuals who were arrested on October 13; identified as Faizal Munaf Shaikh (32), a resident of Bhavnagar associated with Dhruvi Enterprises; Irfan alias Padu Sattar Jethwa (42), the owner of Dhruvi Enterprises and also from Bhavnagar; Jignesh Himmatlal Desai (50), a Bhavnagar resident who manages the bank account for Dhruvi Enterprises; and Paresh Pradeep Dodiya (25), a resident of Rajkot and the owner of Prakash Industries.
The court has granted a five-day remand for these four individuals.
Earlier, senior journalist Mahesh Langa of The Hindu, Aijaz alias Maldar (30), Abdulkader alias Bapu (33), and Jyotish Magan Gondaliya (42), were among the four people arrested on October 8. They are currently on a 10-day remand.
Also Read: CJI Chandrachud Names Justice Khanna as His Successor; Centre to Decide
