PANJIM: The Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Goa has booked two Maharashtra-based firms for allegedly cheating Office of the Commissioner of Customs, Vasco Da Gama.
A First Information Report (FIR) names proprietors of two firms M/s Apna Bazaar and M/s SPS Craft for allegedly submitting forged documents to claim around Rs 2 lakh from the Customs Department from 2017-2019.
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The FIR states that both the firms entered into a criminal conspiracy with unknown others and in pursuance thereof 13 different work orders amounting to Rs 11.93 lakh were awarded to M/s Apna in 2017 and three different works amounting to Rs 1.86 lakh approximately were awarded to M/s SPS in 2018 by the Customs Department, Goa.
“These forms were selected for award of work orders on the strength of false/forged/fabricated quotations of other firms. M/s Apna dishonestly claimed Rs 1.27 lakh approximately towards VAT by submitting false/forged invoices and misappropriated this amount as the firm was not even registered for VAT. M/s SPS dishonestly claimed Rs 28,383 towards GST by submitting false/forged invoices and misappropriated this amount as this firm was not even registered with the GST,” it said.
Both the companies, as such, cheated Customs Goa by causing corresponding wrongful loss to the department.
The CBI has registered an offence under Sections 420 (Cheating), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine forged documents) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
It is reliably learnt that besides questioning of the concerned firm, the two firms, officials of the Customs Department, who served during the terms when the alleged cheating took place, could be called for questioning. So far, no arrests have been made.
