Odisha Vigilance Arrests Three Men For Rs 4 crore Fraud

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Vigilance officials arrested three individuals on Thursday in connection with a fraudulent VAT refund scheme involving misappropriation of government funds worth Rs 4.03 crore.

The arrested individuals include two private persons, Satyaki Pattanaik and Deeptikanta Choudhury, along with Abinash Pradhan, a staff member from the CT & GST department in Bhubaneswar.

The case arose from allegations that these individuals, including Pradhan, used their positions to facilitate a fraudulent refund of VAT. They are accused of abusing their power to approve and disburse Rs 4.03 crore to suspicious private entities. The private individuals allegedly impersonated authorized representatives of a dealer, tampered with financial documents, and used forged signatures and seals on statutory forms to facilitate the fraudulent transaction.