Telangana: Illicit cigarettes worth Rs 4 crore seized

Hyderabad: Teams from the the commercial taxes department under the supervision of commissioner V. Anil Kumar raided illegal cigarette godowns across the state on Wednesday seizing product  worth nearly Rs 4 crore.

The raids were carried out simultaneously across nine districts by 32 speical teams. The teams found that the illegal trade has been thriving in the state with the help of organised gangs operating from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and the North-East. Over a dozen illegal brands have been found to be circulating in the state, resulting in large-scale commercial tax evasion.

“Barring Karimnagar, we have conducted raids in all districts. The illegal cigarettes were stored in undeclared godowns. We have seized cigerrettes worth Rs 4 crore.

Traders paid Rs 60 lakh tax following raids, said V. Anil Kumar, the commercial taxes commissioner. He said teams tracked transport vehicles at toll gates and found that they were not reported for VAT.