Octroi scam worth crores: ACB
The Anti-Corruption Bureau’s evaluation of the trucks seized in its recent raids on octroi nakas across the city has indicated that octroi worth crores was being evaded on a daily basis across the city.
According to ACB sources, the 40 trucks that were seized during the bureau’s simultaneous raids in Mulund, Dahisar, Vashi and Sewri have been found to be evading `15 lakh in octroi.
“Around 6,000 trucks pass through these nakas on a daily basis. If even half of them evade octroi on a scale as is indicated by our evaluations, then crores of rupees worth of octroi has been evaded everyday,” said an officer with the ACB, who was part of the evaluation process.
The ACB is now conducting an evaluation of the goods seized from the godowns in Kalbadevi and Byculla. The godowns belong to the same transporters who have allegedly been running the evasion racket for the last several years. Goods that were brought into the city by them were stored in these godowns before being picked up by their clients.
The evaluation is being conducted with the help of octroi officials, who are helping the ACB examine the documents pertaining to these goods. The octroi paid for the goods is being compared with the octroi actually applicable, and sources said that several discrepancies have already come to light.
“Octroi has either been evaded by declaring goods that attract minimum duty or by outright reducing the octroi levied. In some instances, the transporters take the full amount of octroi from their clients, but pay a reduced octroi, thus pocketing the difference and paying a share to the octroi officials who are involved,” said the source.
The ACB has so far questioned 10 octroi officials in connection with the scam and more will soon be summoned for questioning when the evaluation process is complete. No arrests have been made in the case so far.
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