COIMBATORE: Sleuths from the Income Tax Department carried out raids in 18 locations across Tiruchy, Coimbatore, Salem, Madurai, Chennai, Vellore, Erode, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Theni, Sivagangai, Pudukkottai, Virudhunagar and Tirunelveli on Monday, in the cases of persons who facilitated fake deductions under various sections of the IT Act and claimed tax refunds fraudulently.
Sources said income tax practitioners and intermediaries in various parts of the state have aided and abetted several thousand taxpayers in making fraudulent income tax refund claims.
These persons have aided many taxpayers in filing incorrect Income Tax returns, making bogus deduction claims under various heads such as political donations u/s 80GGC, medical reimbursements u/s 80D, tuition fees u/s 80C, HRA u/s 10(13A), they added.
As a result, bogus refunds have been appropriated running into crores. The intermediaries have canvassed thousands of taxpayers, including employees of government entities and serving and retired personnel from defence forces across Delhi, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, and Bihar, through private WhatsApp and Telegram groups and word of mouth.
In this case, it was found that specific email IDs have been created to file fraudulent returns. From these email IDs, returns were filed, and bogus refunds were claimed. Incriminating evidence was found during probe, sources said.
“Taxpayers are advised to refrain from falling prey to such schemes floated by unscrupulous, dishonest, and unethical elements. It is advisable for all taxpayers who have filed incorrect returns by claiming fraudulent deductions in the current year or in past years to come forward and file updated returns. Income Tax department will provide assistance to taxpayers in updating Return of Income,” an official from the Income Tax said.