The Anti-Evasion Branch, CGST Commissionerate Faridabad, Panchkula CGST Zone, received an information that M/s R. P. Enterprises having its registered principal place of business at village-Baghola, District Palwal, Haryana and additional premises at Sihi Gate, Ballabhgarh, Haryana, is engaged in purchase and sale of fire crackers without invoice. Accordingly, the Anti-Evasion Branch, CGST Commissionerate Faridabad, conducted simultaneous searches under Section 67 (2) of the CGST Act, 2017 on the 12^th October, 2022, which continued for whole night.

The main registered principal place of business at village- Baghola, District- Palwal, Haryana was a huge premises, having 21 godowns, located in a very remote inaccessible area marooned in water infested with snakes and without electricity. The Anti-Evasion Officers reached the premises with great difficulty on tractors as there was no motorable road and the area was heavily waterlogged.

The Anti-Evasion Officers found the said premises full of fire-crackers worth crores, which has been seized and the premises have been sealed. In addition, the officers have also seized an unaccounted cash amount of Rs Fifty Lakhs Eighty Eight Thousand (50.88 Lakhs) along with lots of “Katcchi Parchi and other documents” indicating towards large scale evasion of GST. Quantification of GST evaded and further investigations are underway.

It is pertinent to highlight that w.e.f. 10/10/2022, based upon recent orders of Hon’ble Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Haryana Government has directed to prohibit the manufacturing, sale and use of all kinds of fire crackers except for green crackers.

This search operation has once again proved that CBIC and its arms like DRI, DGGI, Anti-Evasion Branches etc are very pro-actively preventing not only tax evasion but also protecting the environment of the country. Following this tradition, the Anti-Evasion Branch, CGST Commissionerate Faridabad, has very diligently discharged its duty as “Green Warriors” also.

GST search and seizure exposes illegal fire cracker stock and triggers ongoing evasion and environmental compliance probe. Searches under Section 67(2) of the CGST Act at M/s R. P. Enterprises uncovered large quantities of unaccounted fire cracker stock across 21 godowns, resulted in seizure of inventory, sealing of premises, recovery of unaccounted cash and informal sale records indicating GST evasion; quantification of evaded GST and further investigation are underway amid a state prohibition permitting only green crackers.