Bhubaneswar: Separate teams of officials from the Commercial Tax and GST Commissionerate Monday carried out simultaneous raids at several well-known jewellery stores in towns around Odisha, an official said.
According to a senior official, raids are presently being conducted in 12 towns across the state including twin cities Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The teams will scrutinise tax ledgers, stock and purchase records to ascertain evasion of GST by the jewelers.
Under this major anti-corruption drive, the sleuths have been verifying daily transactions including the violation of weight and measurement standards, if any.
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“The raids are based on allegations that some shops were selling fake gold ornaments to customers,” the official added.
Some unscrupulous jewelers have been fudging weight of the yellow metal and in turn selling it to the ignorant and uneducated people.
Huge quantities of gold and silver ornaments are usually sold during Dhanteras and Diwali festivals. Unprecedented rush of customers to buy jewellery is seen during festive seasons, the official stated.
Notably, the simultaneous raids are going on in Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur, including twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
PNN
