CBI Court Sentences Pair for Fake TDS Refund Scam

An Ahmedabad CBI court sentenced Suresh G Prajapati and his wife Sobhnaben to three years in prison for TDS refund fraud. The accused used forged certificates to claim Rs 3,61,298 in refunds. Fines were also imposed, as the fraudulent activities spanned multiple years.

In a recent verdict, the Special ACJM court for CBI cases in Ahmedabad (Rural) handed down a three-year prison sentence to two individuals, Suresh G Prajapati and his wife Sobhnaben, charged in a TDS refund scam. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 on each of the accused, according to a CBI statement.

The Central Bureau of Investigation initiated action on December 31, 2007, after uncovering how the duo allegedly exploited fabricated TDS certificates to secure income tax refunds amounting to Rs 3,61,298 from Ward 12(3) at the Income Tax Office in Narayan Chambers, Ahmedabad. Suresh Prajapati, then an income tax practitioner in the city, was said to have been central to this fraudulent scheme, wherein multiple IT returns were filed with falsified documents.

CBI authorities pursued legal action with two chargesheets filed on December 31, 2008, and January 3, 2011. Following a detailed trial, the court adjudicated the couple guilty of the offenses, culminating in their sentencing, as confirmed by CBI's release.

(With inputs from agencies.)