The Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a series of raids on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into a multi-crore income tax refund scam. The raids were conducted by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and targeted several locations in Kashmir, including the houses and offices of the accused individuals. The investigation is related to fraudulent income tax refund claims made by hundreds of people in the Union Territory over the past few years.
The cases were registered on May 25, following a complaint from the office of the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax in Srinagar. It is reported that more than 400 individuals, including government employees and a chartered accountant, are facing criminal charges for conspiring and defrauding the government exchequer for a sum of Rs. 16.72 crores between the financial years 2017-18 and 2019-20.
The spokesperson for the Crime Branch stated that the cases involve the manipulation and tampering of electronic and other data, which allowed the perpetrators to fraudulently claim refunds of income tax that had already been deducted at source. These illegal activities resulted in the accused individuals wrongfully gaining crores of Rupees while causing significant financial losses to the Income Tax Department and the Government of India.
During the search operation, incriminating documents, desktop computers, and laptops were seized, and these items will be examined as probable evidence in the cases. However, no arrests were made at this stage of the investigation. The spokesperson emphasized that all necessary procedures mandated by law were followed, and the investigation is progressing satisfactorily.
The Crime Branch is committed to uncovering the truth in this scam and bringing the responsible individuals to justice. Further updates on the investigation will be provided in due course. It is important to note that the article has been rephrased to ensure its original ideas are maintained while adhering to the guidelines provided.
