Ahmedabad: The Gujarat State Tax Department has detected alleged GST evasion worth around ₹6.54 crore following raids at 41 locations linked to 27 traders across north and central Gujarat.

Searches were conducted at premises in Ahmedabad, Deesa, Palanpur, Patan, Becharaji, Radhanpur, Visnagar, Unjha, Mehsana, and Bavla. The action was carried out on July 8 after the department received intelligence inputs that certain traders were allegedly making retail sales without issuing GST invoices. Instead, they were reportedly recording transactions using informal ‘kacchi chiththi’ slips to conceal taxable turnover.

The traders were primarily dealing in pan masala, bidis, cigarettes, areca nuts, tobacco, lime, and grocery items.

According to officials, preliminary findings revealed significant discrepancies between the physical stock and the inventory recorded in books, indicating unaccounted sales, non-issuance of tax invoices, and suppression of taxable turnover.

The department has initiated proceedings to recover the alleged tax dues. Officials added that the data collected during the operation is being analysed to identify similar cases of GST evasion in other major business-to-consumer (B2C) sectors. DeshGujarat