BIRGUNJ, May 7: Two Indian citizens have reportedly evaded a total of Rs 180 million in taxes in two separate incidents here. One of the culprits is being searched for by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to recover the taxes while the other has been handed down a fine of Rs 20 million and one year jail in absentia by the District Court Parsa.

According to the initial details, Babita Gupta of Janakpur Sub Metropolitan City-2 acquired Indian citizenship after her marriage with Krishna Kumar Gupta of Eastern Champaran District in Bihar, India. But she did not give up her Nepali citizenship. 

Then, her husband Krishna Kumar and her brother-in-law Mukesh using Babita’s citizenship set up a firm ‘Mohini Enterprises’ in Birgunj to import coal from India and sell in Nepal. But Krishna Kumar died three years ago and Mukesh was running the business. But as the tax payables -- income tax and VAT -- which the firm had not paid for several years piled up, both Mukesh and Babita fled to India last year. They owe Rs 84.8 million in VAT and Rs 75.7 million in income tax, according to tax officials. 

“We have gone to the Nepal Rastra Bank to freeze their bank accounts and any property they have in Nepal,” informed Gopi Krishna Koirala, chief of IRD Birgunj. 

The other incident involves an Indian citizen Kamalesh Prasad Kalawar who has been accused of evading taxes and acquiring Nepali citizenship through forgery. Kalawar had acquired Nepali citizenship by descent, on April 15, 2012 by presenting fake details and fake witnesses. 

Kalawar is also from Eastern Champaran, Bihar and continues to hold Indian citizenship. According to the voter roll of Bihar’s Election Commission, Kalawar’s voter ID card number is MGP 5117460. His Nepali citizenship card number is 03252751.

A few years ago, Kalawar registered a firm named ‘Shiva Shakti Office Traders’ and started selling photo copiers. But he closed down the firm while continuing to sell photo copiers and office equipment. But now he started issuing the invoices of another firm “Shiva Shakti Icon Office Traders”, which is owned by Krishna Prasad Kanu, a Nepali national. Kalawar did this to evade the taxes of his earlier firm. 

Now the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) filed cases against both Kalawar and Kanu but Kanu was sent to jail on the charge of evading Rs 9.4 million in taxes. However, on April 23, as informed by registrar of District Court, Parsa, Mahendra Prasad Bhattarai the court has released Kanu on bail after finding Kalawar responsible for the crime. But Kalawar is still at large.

 
• tax
 
• Indians
 
• evaded
 
• Birgunj