In another crackdown on suspected tax evasion, the State GST Department conducted early morning raids on Thursday at multiple premises in the State capital, intensifying its probe into alleged bogus billing practices. The swoop was carried out at Annapurna Complex in Bhainsthan area, where teams of GST officials swooped down on premises linked to M/s Laxmi Commercial and M/s SRS Traders. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, nearly 10 officers formed part of the coordinated operation, covering four locations simultaneously. The sudden enforcement action created a flurry of activity in the busy commercial locality as officials began examining documents and electronic records. According to sources, the firms had come under the scanner following complaints of large-scale tax evasion through fake invoicing and paper transactions with no underlying business activity. Preliminary findings indicate the possibility of a structured billing network being used to generate fictitious transactions, enabling wrongful input tax credit claims.

 

Officials reportedly recovered a substantial volume of invoices, transaction records, and digital data during the searches. Investigators are now scrutinising the seized materials, including electronic devices, to trace transaction patterns and identify potential linkages with other entities. Sources suggest that several entries appear to be non-genuine, raising suspicion of a broader tax evasion mechanism. While the department has not issued an official statement so far, insiders indicated that the operation forms part of a larger enforcement drive against financial irregularities and GST fraud in the region. Officials maintained that once the verification process is completed, appropriate legal action will be initiated against those found involved, including recovery of evaded taxes and imposition of penalties. The search and seizure operations were underway till reports last came in.