19-Year-Old Involved in ₹64 Crore GST Fraud Using Fake Online Mobile Sales Invoices

A 19-year-old youth, Sanket Mittal, has been arrested for a massive GST fraud worth ₹64.25 crore. The Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Commissionerate in Faridabad uncovered the scam, where Mittal fraudulently claimed Input Tax Credit (ITC) using fake mobile phone sale invoices from popular e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Appario.

According to investigators, Mittal obtained the IMEI numbers of iPhones sold to individual customers (B2C) through suspicious channels. He then used these IMEI numbers to create fake invoices, showing the phones as if they were sold to businesses (B2B). This trick allowed him to wrongfully claim ITC under the GST system, even though no real business transactions or supply of goods had occurred.

Authorities also arrested another person, Naveen Tayal, who was allegedly working with Mittal. Both have been sent to 14-day judicial custody by the Faridabad District Court.

The CGST officials confirmed that the entire ITC claim was based on fake paperwork and digital manipulation, without any genuine goods being bought or sold. This misuse of e-commerce data and credit chains has raised serious concerns among tax authorities.

Mittal had applied for bail, but later withdrew his request—possibly due to the strong evidence collected by investigators or as part of a legal strategy.

Officials have warned that the case highlights growing misuse of e-commerce platforms for tax evasion and assured that there will be stricter scrutiny on online sellers going forward.