BHUBANESWAR: Two manufacturers and 13 traders of pan masala and tobacco products have coughed up a penalty of Rs 2 crore to the Commercial Tax and GST wing for tax evasion. Large scale unaccounted purchase and sales were detected after a series of simultaneous raids on 17 business units and warehouses of tobacco and pan masala in different parts of the State on September 11 when three trucks with tobacco products worth of Rs 1.10 crore were seized at Jujumara near Sambalpur.
The raids on business as well as factory premises of two other big tobacco and pan masala manufacturers and a trader are still continuing at Sambalpur, the CT&GST Commissionerate informed.Based on intelligence and data analysis on frequency of interception of vehicles carrying tobacco products in a clandestine manner, the State GST enforcement wing conducted raids at Bhubaneswar, Jatni, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Baripada, Angul, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur, Bargarh and Balangir.
Sources said, the truck were carrying the consignments from KP Sugandh Ltd and Narayani Trading Company, Sambalpur to Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Jatni.