Bhubaneswar: In a major haul, a Commercial Tax and Goods and Services Tax (CT & GST) enforcement squad seized gold and silver worth Rs 30 crore near Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here, Monday, official sources said. “Nearly 50kg of gold and two quintals of silver having a market value of Rs 30 crore were seized from two vehicles near BPIA,” officials said.
Sources claimed that the gold and silver landed at BPIA from Mumbai at noon. “BVC Logistics loaded the gold and silver in two of its vehicles,” they added. CT and GST Additional Commissioner Manas Swain said acting on a tipoff, the officials intercepted the two vehicles and seized the gold and silver consignments. He said four persons belonging to ‘BVC Logistics’ have been detained in connection with the seizure. “We are verifying the documents about the consignment and also examining whether the GST payment has been made on it,” Swain said. Sources added that officials are questioning the owner of the precious metals and seeking documents. “The gold and silver were being transported to at least 12 jewellery stores.
However, the owner of the precious metals could not produce the required documents including tax invoices. So, our officials seized the gold and silver. The owner has been asked to depose before the authorities concerned and produce all the documents. The seized gold and silver will be deposited in the government treasury if the person concerned fails to produce all the documents within the stipulated time period,” Swain added. The consignments were brought to the Odisha capital in Indigo and Vistara flights. The precious metals were kept in cartons, said CT & GST Joint Commissioner Ajay Sethi. “We are also checking the flight documents of the precious metals,” Sethi said.