Editor’s Note
This report details a meticulously planned 21-hour operation by GST officers in Sambhal, who used e-rickshaws as cover to seize undeclared precious metals and stones worth ₹33 crore. The covert raid underscores the evolving tactics employed in tax enforcement.
Sambhal News: In a covert operation in Chandausi, Sambhal, the GST department raided Montu Jewellers and recovered undeclared gold, silver, and diamonds worth 33 crore rupees. Officers arrived at the market disguised as customers in e-rickshaws, and a 21-hour operation led to a major revelation.
GST officers left their four government vehicles about a kilometer away from the jewelry shop. They then split into two teams and reached the bullion market via e-rickshaws. Posing as ordinary customers, the officers entered Montu Jewellers and began assessing the situation inside under the pretext of routine shopping.
For the first two hours of the raid, no employee left the shop and no new customer entered. During this time, officers quietly began inspecting the stock. Once it was confirmed that the shop contained a large quantity of undeclared jewelry, police forces and the remaining government vehicles arrived at the scene, after which news of the raid spread throughout the market.
The GST department conducted a continuous 21-hour operation at Montu Jewellers, owned by Himanshu Agrawal, a resident of Mahajan Bisouli Gate, Chandausi. During this period, 16 kg 638 grams of gold, 875 kg of silver jewelry, and 34.43 carats of diamonds were recovered. This entire stock was not recorded in the stock register, while the register only accounted for 439 grams of gold and 120 kg of silver.
According to GST officers, the market value of the seized jewelry is estimated to be around 33 crore rupees. The businessman could not provide a satisfactory explanation for this undeclared stock. Subsequently, the department also recovered a fine of 1.20 crore rupees from the jeweler as per rules.
An officer from the Moradabad GST department revealed that surveillance on Montu Jewellers had been conducted for about a month prior to this action. Different teams would visit the shop as customers, inquire about gold and silver rates, and gather information about available stock. Some officers were keeping watch on goods coming and going in the market, disguised as watchmen.
According to officers, as soon as gold and silver prices suddenly dropped in recent days, several bullion traders began purchasing in large quantities. Stock at Montu Jewellers also increased rapidly, after which the GST team, based on concrete information, raided on February 4th.
Sources claim that the GST department had received information that the jeweler possessed jewelry worth over 300 crore rupees. However, despite an all-night investigation, the department could only recover undeclared stock worth about 33 crore rupees. Nevertheless, this is considered the biggest GST action in Sambhal district to date.
During the GST raid, other traders in the main market protested the action by wearing black bands. Traders shut the market, staged a sit-in, and raised slogans against GST officers. The sit-in continued outside shops on the morning of February 5th as well, affecting business in the entire area.
Following the raid, on February 6th, jeweler Himanshu Agrawal issued a statement on social media. He wrote that GST officers cooperated fully during the survey and there was no mistreatment of any kind. He alleged that some local people were deliberately spreading fear and rumors in the market, which is completely wrong.