Fake raid like real GST officials' film 'Special 26': Traders scared by issuing notices, stopping CCTV and smashing lakhs, names of 5 commissioners exposed

For some time now, a fear has crept into the minds of traders in the textile, scrap and chemical sectors of Gujarat and especially in Ahmedabad. This fear is not of any headstrong people. But the responsibility of filling the government's coffers lies with some corrupt and destructive officials of the GST department. They have been accused of conducting fake raids like the film 'Special 26' and then stealing lakhs of rupees. The identity of Gujarat is trade, so for the business class to read, understand and be aware. There have been complaints that a network of sabotage is going on in Gujarat with the connivance of top officials, including the state GST commissioner. Vandalism worth lakhs and crores of rupees has disturbed the sleep of the traders. The merchant gets just one summons and then the game of intimidation and emptying his pockets begins. It's just a matter of saying, it's not worth hearing. But there is a solid fact. Because the traders who were victims of vandalism have conveyed their message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. It mentions the incident that happened to them and the names of the officers who were travelling in the red lighted car. Divya Bhasker also has a copy of the complaint. How are traders 'preyed'? According to the complaint, the vandals have developed a special 'modus operandi' to carry out the robbery. The first thing to do is to find the 'prey'. That is, a list of traders whose turnover is very large. Subsequently, some of these traders are summoned using Section 70(1) of the GST Act on some technical pretext. The trader is mentally shattered when he reaches the office to respond. "You have done a lot wrong with the government, we have all your horoscopes. You will be fined heavily, your GST number will be cancelled and you will have to go straight to jail.' Ultimately, out of fear, the trader is left with no other option. This is where the amount of crores of rupees is decided. Thus, the data of registration and suspended licenses of dubious firms is also used to siphone. Textile trader in Sarkhej stops CCTV and steals Rs 28 lakh According to a written complaint to the Chief Minister, in March last year, a raid was conducted at the residence of Abubhai, who was a textile trader in Sarkhej. A large team of 15 people, including Assistant State Commissioners of Division-1, Ahmedabad, was involved in the raid. Though the authorities do not have the authority to turn off the CCTV cameras installed at the place of business, all the cameras were turned off in a coercive manner and the entire amount of Rs 28 lakh was extorted from him by intimidating the trader behind closed doors. A similar case happened in Jamnagar. Where the amount was two-and-a-half times. A bribe of Rs 60 lakh was also reported in Jamnagar The petition also mentions the Jamnagar incident. In the run-up to the start of the new financial year 2026, GST officials in Jamnagar also played a similar game. In April, suspended Assistant Commissioner of State Taxes (GST) Sanjay Patel and his associates had issued a notice to a firm called Kalp Enterprises for dereliction of duty. It is alleged that Sanjay Patel did not conduct any verification before issuing the notice. On the contrary, the notice incorrectly stated that the traders were suo motu cancelled, showing 11 traders obtaining registration for fraud, 3 traders as suspense and 5 traders suspended. It has been claimed that a bribe of Rs 60 lakh was demanded directly in the case of Kalp Enterprise by threatening to shut down the business. Surprisingly, evidence of this amount being transferred to various accounts through bank transactions was also found. These actions were carried out by indicating bogus purchases and suspicious receipt of goods, pointing directly to vandalism. However, no official announcement has been made so far on what happened despite the GST and police conducting investigations. Suspicious activity in more than 40 cases in 10 months The names mentioned in the complaint to the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister are very shocking. The vandalism team includes additional state commissioners, joint state commissioners and assistant state commissioners and several other officials. According to the complaint, joint commissioner Rakesh Shah and a team of additional level officers have issued summons in more than 40 cases in the last 10 months. If the traders of the cases approved by these commissioners are called in person and their statements are taken, then the number of corruption can reach crores. Mobile squad looting on highway Not only in the offices, but also on different highways of Gujarat, this looting is going on unabated. GST mobile squads are continuously monitoring to catch tax evaders on highways. But in the checking of e-way bills and in cases of overload, there are allegations of vandalism on the spot by stopping trucks, showing technical errors even though the papers are correct. Traders should know: What are the rules and what are these officials doing? The guidelines and laws of the Central Board of Direct Taxes and Customs are meant to protect traders, but these vandalism officials seem to have ignored them. Traders are being harassed by breaking not one, two, but five-five rules. Document Identification Number (DIN) Required: The biggest and strictest rule of the government is that every notice, summons or letter issued by the officer must have an online generated DIN. A notice without a DIN is considered invalid in the eyes of law and the merchant is not bound to accept it. Provision of Pre-Notice: When discrepancies are found in the return or tax, a pre-notice has to be issued in FORM GST DRC-01A instead of imposing a direct penalty. The purpose is that if the businessman admits his mistake and pays the tax and interest, then the matter will be settled without a big notice. The GST department cannot issue notices at any time of its discretion. Approval of higher authorities: Written approval of the apex local officer of GST (such as Principal Commissioner or Commissioner) is required for any important investigation, audit or search and seizure on premises. In case of tax evasion, a notice under Section 74 (Fraud and Wilful Misstatement) requires the prior approval of a senior officer of the rank of Joint or Additional Commissioner. Internal scrutiny: The deputy, assistant commissioner or superintendent can issue notices for the difference between GSTR-1 and 3B, but there is an internal scrutiny approval system for that too. If the response to the pre-notice is not satisfactory, a show-cause notice is sent in FORM GST DRC-01 under Section 73 or Section 74, wherein 30 days time is given to be a party. Opportunity of hearing mandatory: As per the new SOP, it is mandatory to give an opportunity to the trader or his CA-Lawyer to be heard in person or through video conferencing before passing the final order. If the trader does not appear despite being given three chances, only then the officer can take a unilateral decision. Disturbed by the harassment, some traders narrated their ordeal to Congress MLA Imran Khedawala. Khedawala also met the chief minister immediately in view of the seriousness of the complaint. Talking to Bhaskar, Congress MLA Imran Khedawala said, "I have received complaints about traders being tampered with by GST officials. Traders are being intimidated by issuing false notices. The petition that has come to me mentions the names of the officials who violated it. The faces of the senior officers were sewn up! It remains to be seen when the government will turn a red eye to the written complaint of this multi-crore GST violation that has reached the office of the Prime Minister of the country and the Chief Minister of the state and when will an in-depth investigation be ordered against the officials who misuse the law. Because in this regard, the government's finance department, the GST system, sent questions in writing to the chief secretary and asked for answers. But no one wants to say anything. No one has bothered to answer.