KOLLAM: The Karunagappally GST Mobile Squad on Sunday seized 6.41kg of gold jewellery worth Rs 3 crore that was brought from Thrissur for sale in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram without proper documents.
The jewellery was returned to the owner after levying a fine of Rs 18.75 lakh under the GST Act. This is the first gold seizure by the squad in the latest financial year. In the just-concluded 2021-22 financial year, the squad seized a total 22kg of gold jewellery and molten gold worth Rs 11 crore in 24 incidents. A total Rs 1.05 crore was levied as taxes and fines.
In the 2020-21 fiscal, 32kg of gold jewellery worth Rs 15.33 crore was seized in 41 cases and a fine of Rs 1.25 crore levied. In another incident, officials confiscated 4kg of gold jewellery and two cars that were used to smuggle it after the owner failed to pay the fine.
On Sunday, the culprits were caught during the vehicle inspections carried out by a team led by Assistant Commissioner (Intelligence) S Rajeev and comprising Assistant State Tax Officers B Rajesh, S Rajeshkumar, B Rajeev, T Ratheesh, ER Sonaji, Shaila and P Sreekumar.
The team carried out vehicle inspections in Karunagappally, Kayamkulam, Haripad, Kollam, Bharanikkavu, Kundara and Adoor railway stations on the instructions of GST Enforcement Joint Commissioner K Suresh, Intelligent Joint Commissioner Kiranlal, Kollam Deputy Commissioner (Intelligence) H Irshad.