GST sleuths ‘concerned’ after businessman murder

AP-based Ram Prasad was involved in two cases of GST evasion & was a crucial witness in at least 5 other cases

HYDERABAD: What is it about the murder of  Vijayawada-based businessman Telapolu Ram Prasad at Punjagutta that has, perhaps, left GST sleuths “concerned”? Prasad was found dead a few weeks ago on July 6. Hyderabad police, who solved the case, have nabbed five persons, including the prime accused Koganti Sathyanarayana while six others are absconding.

They established that a business rivalry spanning four to five years, which involved a financial dispute of Rs 23 crore, was the motive behind the murder. It is now learnt that the 49-year-old, now deceased, businessman was directly involved in two cases of GST evasion by issuing or receiving fake invoices and fraudulently claiming input tax credit (ITC) running into crores.

The case was detected by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence’s Vizag zonal unit and has been under investigation for the past six months. Ram Prasad had been questioned multiple times by the sleuths in connection with cases at Hyderabad as well as in Vizag until recently. Further, he is also a key witness in at least five other cases where inputs shared by him were, and in the future would have been, crucial.“He was required for questioning and it  had been going on. His untimely demise is a big concern for us. It is certainly not of least consequence. We were looking for fresh facts to go about further,” said a top official at DGGI. The sleuths have learnt that Ram Prasad was involved in several companies, none of which were run by managements “worthy of being called managements”. The official added: “Now that the individual is dead, evidences that had to be produced by him have to be uncovered by us.”

Ram Prasad had admitted to having committed the crime and had also spoken about the threat to his life, say officials. He was part of a credit chain that received and passed input credit fraudulently. Will the investigation hit a road block now? 

“His (Ram Prasad’s) statement cannot be accepted as truth before a court of law now that he is dead. But there is always circumstantial evidence which we can identify and strengthen our case,” said another official.

As Ram Prasad was staying in Hyderabad, he was being questioned at the Hyderabad zonal office of the DGGI. His statement was taken here in spite of the case being cracked by the Vizag unit. Investigators, in fact, have been able to make some recoveries from those who benefited from him.

Punjagutta police question murder accused

The Punjagutta police, who are investigating the case of businessman Ram Prasad’s murder, have taken the eight accused persons for questioning them in connection with the case on Saturday. On July 6, businessman Ram Prasad, a native of Vijaywada of Andhra Pradesh, was murdered by the accused while he was returning from temple in Punjagutta police limits. Hours after the incident took place, three accused came out and stating that they committed murder of Ram Prasad following disputes in their businesses

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