Following the seizure of cigarettes worth ₹3.48 crore on February 1 at Anantapur, the Anti-Evasion Wing of Tirupati Central GST Commssionerate arrested a person for his alleged involvement in the crime. Bigendra Kumar Singh, Director of M/S Goldstep Tobacco Private Limited, Patna, was arrested on Monday, under Section 69 of CGST Act 2017, read with section 132.
It may be recalled that the consignment of 187 cartons of cigarette boxes (containing 56.1 lakh sticks of ‘Gold Step’ and ‘Paris’ brands) was transported under the guise of safety match boxes to evade taxes. During the investigation, Mr. Singh had reportedly admitted his role in tax evasion, leading to his arrest.
This is the second such consignment to be seized in recent times under the purview of the Tirupati CGST Commissionerate, led by Commissioner Sadhu Narasimha Reddy. During the financial year 2023-24, the Commissionerate detected GST evasion to the tune of ₹43.46 crore and recovered ₹35.99 crore, including seizure of cigarettes worth ₹5.83 crore.
