Assam Police Special Task Force arrests three Kolkata suspects in GST and ITC fraud

The Assam Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested three individuals from Kolkata—Vineet Kumar Poddar, Vivek Kumar Gupta, and Surajit Barman—in a coordinated raid targeting a pan‑India GST and fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) scheme. The arrests, made on August 2, 4 and 6, followed searches that recovered mobile phones, SIM cards and incriminating documents. The suspects were taken to Guwahati on transit remand, bringing the total number of people detained in the case to twelve.

The operation is part of a broader crackdown that began on July 25 with a joint effort involving district police in Dhubri, Chirang and Barpeta. Authorities linked the fraud network to the Shahzad Bhatti Network, a Pakistan‑based group alleged to operate under the direction of Pakistan’s Inter‑Services Intelligence (ISI). The investigation remains ongoing, with further legal action anticipated.