All DG-GIs have power to search firms nationwide

Hyderabad: In a top secret operation, personnel of the Director-General, GST, Intelligence, (DG-GI), Ludhiana, carried out searches on Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), and AMR India Limited, in an alleged ‘bogus invoice’ case worth several crores of rupees.

“This is a violation and punishable act under Section 132 of the CGST Act, 2018 and is liable for arrest under Section 69 of the CGST Act, 2017. No case has been booked because the sleuths are trying to zero down on the chain of firms and middlemen through whom the fake invoices were raised,” the source explained.

Asked why the Ludhiana DG-GI had conducted the searches and not the Telangana state unit, the source said, “The DG-GI has jurisdiction across India. If inputs on fake invoices, tax evasion on goods and services are submitted to any DG- GI, irrespective of the state, the office is competent to act upon and book cases.”

MEIL, headed by P.V.  Krishna Reddy, is an infrastructure major and has worked on the Kaleshwaram and Polavaram projects, and other dams, natural gas distribution networks, power plants and roads. Its longest-serving directors are Pitchi Reddy Pamireddy, Rama Reddy Pamireddy and Venkatakrishna Reddy Puritipati, who have been on the board for more than 13 years.

Mr Venkatakrishna Reddy Puritipati is on the board of 17 companies. MEIL is connected to 35 other companies across India through its directors.

AMR India Limited operates as a business conglomerate and the group is into mining, construction, infrastructure and energy sectors.

The company has five directors and two key management persons.