IT Refund Fraud: CBI Court Gives 4-Year Jail to Seven Accused in Rs 2.38 Crore Fraud
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has sentenced seven people, including a former senior tax assistant, to four years of rigorous imprisonment in an income tax refund fraud case. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 2.4 lakh on the convicted individuals.
The main accused, Babu Prasath Kumar, who was working as a Senior Tax Assistant in the Income Tax Department in Chennai, was found guilty along with six others (B. Praveen Kumar, Trewellyn Marion Corneille, P. Stephen, A. Gopikrishna, Venkatesh, and C. Gunaseelan).
The case was registered on December 31, 2019, following a complaint by an Income Tax Official. According to the CBI, the accused were involved in creating fake income tax refunds by manipulating the system using forged documents and fictitious identities between June 4, 2015 and August 31, 2019. This fraud caused a loss of about Rs 2.38 crore to the Income Tax Department.
Investigations revealed that Babu Prasath Kumar played a major role in the scam. He allegedly routed the proceeds of crime to family members and associates to hide the illegal earnings.
After finishing the investigation, the CBI submitted seven charge sheets in March 2021. Following the trial, the court found all seven accused guilty and sentenced them accordingly.