Chandigarh, March 27 The Punjab government seized illegal tobacco products worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore during a statewide drive against tax evasion, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Friday.
He said the tax department conducted simultaneous raids at eight locations – five registered firms and three unregistered – after receiving information about rising tax evasion following an increase in tobacco taxes.
Teams from the State Investigation and Preventive Units in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Jalandhar conducted the inspections and found large quantities of products without proper invoices.
The seized items included around 1.32 lakh packs of cigarettes, 18,472 packs of bidis, 302 packs of zarda, imported cigarettes, hookah material, and 13,000 lighters.
Cheema said that a tax liability of over Rs 50 lakh, along with penalties, has been assessed.
Approximately Rs 12 lakh has already been recovered, and further recovery is underway. He said that the Bhagwant Mann government will take strict action against tax evasion and urged traders to follow the rules and maintain proper records.