New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS): The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has detected a total of 1,040 fake input tax credit cases involving Rs 14,000 crore in the current financial year (2023-24) so far, according to a Finance Ministry statement issued on Wednesday.

As many as 91 fraudsters have been apprehended in connection with these cases.

In order to tackle the menace of GST evasion, the DGGI develops intelligence, especially in new areas of tax evasion, through advanced tools for data analytics besides using its intelligence network across the country to collect such information, the statement explained.

Overall in 2023-24, Rs. 1.36 lakh crore has been detected as overall GST evasion (including fake input tax credit) and voluntary payment of Rs. 14,108 crore has been made as a result.

Since June 2023, DGGI has laid special emphasis to identify and apprehend the masterminds and disrupting syndicates, operating across the country. Cases have been unravelled using data analysis aided by advanced technical tools which has led to the arrest of tax evaders, the statement said.

These tax syndicates often use gullible persons and enticed them with job / commission / bank loan etc. to extract their KYC documents which were then used for creation of fake / shell firms / companies without their knowledge and consent. In some cases, KYCs were used with the knowledge of the concerned person by paying them small pecuniary benefits, the statement added.