Vijayawada: Cigarettes worth Rs 2.46 cr seized

Vijayawada: Officials of the Central GST, Guntur Commissionerate seized Indian made cigarettes worth Rs 2.46 crore stored illegally in a godown in Gannavaram on Wednesday.

The GST officials as per the orders of the Central GST Commissioner Sadhu Narasimha Reddy made a raid and noticed the cigarettes illegally stored in a godown and registered a case. The anti-evasion Vijayawada unit of Guntur Central GST Commissionerate inspected DTDC hub in Gannavaram.

The cigarettes were manufactured by M/s Gold Step Tobacco Private Limited in Bihar and the consignment arrived at Gannavaram, Krishna district. The GST officials said the cigarettes worth Rs 2.46 crore wrongly declared in the invoice as worth Rs 8 lakh.

These illegal cigarettes lacked essential markings, including manufacturing date and expiry date raising suspicions about the legality of the transportation and no e-way bills were available, according to a press release on Thursday. The consignment also violated the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco products Act -2003.