Arresting two officials of the state Transport Department, Punjab Vigilance Bureau has unearthed a major scam of bogus tax collection at the State check post.
The two officials — Harpal Singh and Salinder Singh — used to usurp the taxes collected from the commercial vehicles entering the state at Tax Collection Centre, Jharmari, Lalru, in SAS Nagar district, with the help of fake computer software as well as bogus stamps or seals, said the spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau.
The spokesperson said that a case, under Sections 420, 465, 467, 471,120 B of the Indian penal code (IPC) and 7, 7A, 13(1) (A), 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, have been filed against three accused persons — Harpal Singh of Hasanpur village, Fatehabad in Haryana; Salinder Singh of Bishanpura village, Zirakpur; and Praveen Kumar of Khanpur village, Kharar, SAS Nagar district. The fake computer software, being used by them, as well as bogus stamps or seals, have also been recovered.
“The involvement of other concerned officers or employees would be ascertained during the course of investigation as these officials have been collecting lakhs of rupees daily which was not possible without the connivance of other concerned officers,” said the spokesperson.
Giving more details, the spokesperson said that around 2000 commercial vehicles, as well as new chassis of commercial vehicles, enter Punjab from outside the State daily. These vehicles have to pay tax for entering or passing through Punjab, which could be paid online by the driver or owner of the vehicle concerned or deposited with the staff posted at the said check post.
Spokesperson added that the officials Harpal Singh, Salinder Singh, and have been posted at the RTA Check Post at Jharmari, SAS Nagar district, on a rotational basis; and they have to collect the due amount of tax after filling the requisite details, including registration number and type of the vehicle, in the e-Parivhan software of the Transport Department.
“It was mandatory to deposit this collected amount with the state exchequer. However, these officials with the intent to usurp the money had developed a fake software similar to the original one and used it to collect taxes due from the commercial vehicles and generate bogus receipts for the owners or drivers of the vehicles,” added the spokesperson.
Spokesperson added that the income, thus generated, was being pocketed by these accused for a long time causing a loss of lakhs of rupees to the State exchequer. “Not only this, they have also fabricated stamps or seals to be affixed on the receipts to convince the vehicle drivers/owners of the genuineness of the same,” he added.
During the investigation, the authenticity of two such fake receipts has been checked on the government's e-Parivahan software, which has been found to be bogus, said the spokesperson.
Spokesperson added that these officials, in this way, have been collecting lakhs of rupees daily which was not possible without the connivance of other concerned officers. The involvement of other concerned officers or employees would be ascertained besides such software being used to deposit online taxes during the course of the investigation, added the spokesperson