KANPUR, June 18 -- The state goods and services tax (SGST) department has uncovered a large-scale fraud in which firms registered under "fictitious" addresses allegedly siphoned off Rs.130 crore by falsely claiming input tax credit (ITC), officials said. A series of FIRs have been lodged at the Kalyanpur police station in Kanpur on Monday and Tuesday, they added. According to state tax officer Ramesh Chandra, one of the main accused, the proprietor of a firm, obtained GST registration on February 11, 2025 using an address in Gangaganj, Panki. However, physical verification by the department found the declared premises occupied by an unrelated individual, who denied any commercial association with the said proprietor and stated that the property had not been leased, Chandra said. Further scrutiny revealed that the electricity bill submitted on the GST portal was also linked to a different address where the said proprietor could not be traced, he said, adding authorities suspect that forged documents were used to secure the registration. Data analysis from the GST portal indicates that the firm declared an outward supply worth Rs.463 crore and availed ITC amounting to Rs.83.37 crore, which was subsequently passed on to another firm, which has been under suspension since April 28. Moreover, the firm had not recorded any inward supply, raising concerns regarding the authenticity of its transactions, officials said, adding the firm's PAN details suggest it also obtained GST registration in Delhi. Another firm from Patna allegedly using fictitious address details availed Rs.37.87 crore through fraudulent ITC claims, officials said. Similarly, an individual from Maharashtra operated a firm suspected to be evading taxes to the tune of Rs.8.44 crore. The SGST department has initiated legal proceedings against the accused under relevant provisions of the GST Act, and further investigations are underway to ascertain the full extent of the fraud and identify additional beneficiaries....