ANANTAPUR: The Rayadurg police on Wednesday busted a major weigh bill racket being operated from Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border near D.Hirehal in the district and arrested four persons in this connection including the suspected kingpin. They also confiscated a computer allegedly being utilised for issuing fake weigh bills.

The fake weigh bill racket has already helped the transporters evade taxes worth crores of rupees

already, as the computer seized by the police contained the details of about 20,000 fake weigh bills issued during the last six months alone. The racket has dented the tax collection of commercial taxes departments of both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka by displaying low tonnage.

Police raid

Acting on specific information, a police team led by Rayadurg Circle Inspector M. Padmakar Reddy and Sub-Inspectors D. Anjaneyulu (Rayadurg) and Mahabub Vali (D.Hirehal) raided a fuel filling station between D.Hirehal in the district and Rampura in Karnataka territory and seized a computer being used to issue fake weigh bills. Four persons S. Satishbabu, N. Marideva of Bellary, N. Dayananda of D.Hirehal and Rajasekhar of Gadag, allegedly involved in the racket were arrested.

Modus operandi

Interestingly, the fuel-filling station where the fake weigh bills were issued has no weigh bridge at all. The racket operators helped the transporters evade tax in return for which they would be getting a percentage. They were issuing bills with the help of a tailor-made computer software for the purpose.

The police registered cases under Sections 420, 468 read with 34 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 65 and 66 of Cyber Crimes Act. The arrested persons were produced in a court at Kalyanadurg and were remanded for 15 days judicial custody. Later, the suspects were moved to sub-jail in Rayadurg.

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