A Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) department team recovered crores in cash and gold during a raid at the house and factory of a gutkha businessman in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, 12 April.
A Kanpur team of the CGST conducted the raids at Jagat Gupta's house and factory in the old Galla Mandi of Sumerpur town of Hamirpur district at 6 am on Tuesday. Raids were also conducted at the house of his relatives, from where official documents were recovered.
Jagat Gupta is the manufacturer of Dayal Gutkha.
Jagat's brother Pradeep Gupta is also involved in the case, as per a press note released by local authorities.
The team also got three note-counting machines from the SBI after finding a large amount of cash at the site. The cash was hidden in different places in the house.
Reportedly, nobody opened the door of his house when the team arrived. The team could enter the house only after the officers put pressure on the staff.
They also seized all the documents, bank accounts and laptops of the gutkha trader.
More than 6 Crores in Cash Seized
As per a press release issued by the Central GST Commissionerate, Kanpur, currency notes worth Rs 6,31,11,800 was recovered from the businessman's property.
In addition, around 15.2 quintals of betel nuts, six sacks of tobacco, packing rolls weighing 95 kg, and finished goods, including 13,700 sachets of betel nut and 38,000 sachets of tobacco, were also confiscated.
The raid was conducted for around 15 hours, according to local authorities.
Prominent Name in the Area
Gupta is considered a prominent trader in the area. Apart from Hamirpur, Dayal Gutkha is supplied till Banda, Fatehpur, with several villages having a high consumption rate of the company's products.
Gupta has been involved in the gutkha business for a long time and has earned crores through the same.
The CGST recovered so much cash that they had to order three big boxes to carry the amount.
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