The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at seven locations in Bihar and Jharkhand on Saturday in connection with a ₹100 crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund scam. The action was taken as part of an investigation into allegations of obtaining tax refunds through fraudulent export bills. Among the five customs officials implicated in the investigation is Ranvijay Kumar, Additional GST Commissioner of Patna.
The CBI simultaneously raided premises in Patna, Purnia, Jamshedpur, Nalanda, and Munger. During the raids, the agency recovered seven gold biscuits weighing 100 grams.
According to sources, an unusual surge in exports of tiles and automobile parts to Nepal was observed during 2022-23 from the Jaynagar, Bhimnagar, and Bhittamore Land Custom Stations (LCS). This activity did not align with normal export trends, raising suspicions among authorities, which led to a detailed investigation.
The CBI’s preliminary inquiry revealed that approximately 30 exporters had fraudulently obtained GST refunds by presenting fake export bills from these three border custom stations. These exporters allegedly submitted export bills valued at less than ₹10 lakh to allow customs superintendents to clear them without requiring higher-level approvals.
The CBI’s FIR alleges that Customs Superintendent Neeraj Kumar and Manmohan Sharma of Jaynagar, Tarun Kumar Sinha and Rajiv Ranjan Sinha of Bhimnagar, and Additional Commissioner Ranvijay Kumar were directly involved in the scam. It is alleged that these officials accepted bribes in exchange for approving fake bills, resulting in significant GST refund benefits for the exporters. Ganga Singh, a clearing agent based in Kolkata, has also been named as a key conspirator in the FIR.
The CBI stated that the officials had shown approximately ₹800 crore in fraudulent exports, which included goods with GST slabs of 28% and 18%. Through this, they obtained a fake refund of around ₹100 crore.
The investigation found that 4,161 e-way bills were presented to demonstrate exports, which showed the use of vehicles such as two-wheelers, buses, and even ambulances. However, verification revealed that none of these vehicles matched the database of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The CBI alleges that Additional Commissioner Ranvijay Kumar deliberately ignored this unusual increase in exports and verbally instructed subordinate officials to pass Let Export Orders (LEOs). He allegedly provided false shipping details himself or through clearing agent Ganga Singh.
This CBI raid and preliminary investigation have exposed an organized ring of customs officials and private exporters who were misusing the government system and stealing taxpayers’ money.