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LUCKNOW: A central GST inspector posted in New Delhi has been named an accused in a Rs 100-crore tax evasion racket uncovered by UP's Special Task Force (STF), a case that investigators said exposed deep collusion between tax officials and a network of shell firms. Inspector Mohit Agrawal, who is on the run, is accused of providing departmental protection and manipulation in return for bribes, STF officials said Sunday. Teams have been deployed to trace and arrest him. The case registered at Kavi Nagar police station in Ghaziabad district centres on large-scale GST fraud through bogus firms, fake e-way bills and forged invoices. On Friday, STF arrested four accused - New Delhi-based scrap dealer Hardeep Singh alias Prince, along with Jitendra Jha, Punit Agrawal and Shivam Singh.

Investigators alleged the syndicate floated multiple shell companies and generated fake e-way bills to illegally claim input tax credit, causing estimated loss of nearly Rs 100 crore to govt.

During the probe, evidence emerged showing inspector Agrawal allegedly actively aided the operation. STF officers said he accepted bribes to restore suspended firms, shield fake entities from scrutiny and manipulate records.

One such firm, Adon Automobile, allegedly linked to Punit Agrawal, was suspended around three months ago but restored after inspector Agrawal's intervention. Investigators clai-med he accepted Rs 40,000 for the favour. STF also pointed to the role of Alok, a Haryana-based facilitator who allegedly supp-lied fake firms to Hardeep Singh for a lump-sum commission. WhatsApp chats recovered from Punit's phone allegedly detail discussions on payments and record manipulation, officers said, and indicated more arrests were likely as investigators widen the net across UP and neighbouring states.