Chandigarh, July 4: GST Intelligence officials have detected tax evasion of around Rs 25 crore by a Haryana-based manufacturer of tobacco products, a senior official of the Chandigarh zonal office said on Sunday. Acting on intelligence-based inputs, tax sleuths, led by Joint Director Balwinder Singh and Deputy Director Navneet Kaushal, carried out raids on the premises of the firm in Tohana in Haryana.

Searches were also conducted on the premises of dealers and raw material suppliers in Chandigarh, Kurukshetra and Sonipat, said the official of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Intelligence, Chandigarh zonal office. The GST intelligence officials had the information that the firm was removing its tobacco products in a clandestine manner to evade tax. GST Reduced Tax Rate, Increased Compliance; More Than 66 Crore Returns Filed in 4 Years, Says Finance Ministry.

During searches, officials recovered unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 10 crore from the office-cum-residential premises of the owner of the firm and also seized various incriminating documents, said the official. The official said though the investigation of seized records was still underway, the firm has evaded tax to the tune of around Rs 25 crore.

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