The economic offences court in Hyderabad on Thursday remanded Dasari Srikanth, a key accused in a ₹17-crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion case linked to the granite trade, to judicial custody for two weeks. He was sent to Chanchalguda jail following his arrest by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), Hyderabad.
Arrest and Charges
Srikanth, a resident of Asif Nagar in Kothapally mandal of Karimnagar, was arrested on May 21, 2026, for offences under Section 132(1)(a) of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, as confirmed by Chanchalguda jail authorities. According to officials, he was a prominent member of an organised granite syndicate and played a crucial role in operating a dummy GST firm named Manoj Enterprises. This firm was used to facilitate the illegal transport of granite rocks and slabs without paying the requisite GST.
Modus Operandi
Under the guise of Manoj Enterprises, e-way bills were generated for outward supplies of significant value. However, none of these supplies were declared in GST returns, and nil returns were filed, leading to an alleged tax evasion amounting to ₹17 crore. Officials stated that Srikanth actively coordinated with factories and transporters, creating fake invoices and generating e-way bills in the name of a non-genuine entity. The actual owner of the dummy firm claimed that he had never operated such an entity or been involved in the granite business.
After his production before the court, Srikanth was remanded to judicial custody for two weeks and lodged in Chanchalguda jail. The investigation continues into the wider syndicate involved in the evasion.
