The Anti-Evasion Wing of the Vijayawada-Guntur Central GST Commissionerate seized 25.38 lakh cigarettes and 46,000 Khaini packets, worth approximately Rs 1 crore, during a raid on unregistered premises in Ambapuram Panchayat on Sunday.
Commissioner of Customs and Central Tax, Sadhu Narasimha Reddy, stated that the raid uncovered a substantial stockpile of Indian-origin cigarettes stored in a rented godown.
The accused lacked proper invoices, such as purchase records and e-way bills, indicating an attempt to evade taxes.
“The seized cigarette packets did not bear essential markings like the manufacturing and expiry dates, raising questions about their legality. The Paris brand cigarettes, in particular, had an MRP lower than the applicable taxes. Based on this evidence, officials confiscated the entire consignment,” the commissioner revealed.
The seized goods, valued at Rs 1 crore, were believed to be stored for illegal trade. Investigations are ongoing.
