Cuttack: The Commissionerate Police on Thursday detained three gold traders and seized 2.29 kgs of gold and 27.28 grams of gold plated ornaments from their possession.
The detained traders have been identified as Gurjeet Singh and Manpreet Singh from Punjab and Ranjan Sahu, a local goldsmith of the Station Bazaar area of Cuttack city.
Acting on a tip-off, the Malgodown Police apprehended the two gold traders in the Station Road area and later the local goldsmith.
Police later informed the GST officials, who arrived at the spot, collected a penalty of Rs 3.23 lakh including a fine of Rs 1,69,729 with 100 per cent GST from them.
Briefing the mediapersons, Cuttack DCP Prateek Singh said that the police had information about some traders from outside the state selling gold in the city. “A trap was laid to nab the two traders from Amritsar while they were on their way to Cuttack with the gold,” he added.
The DCP also said that the duo used to sell gold to a number of gold traders in Cuttack without collecting GST from them. In the process, they used to evade inter-state GST.
The gold traders were not arrested as they have paid the GST with a fine, he added.
GST official Satya Prasanna Kar said that the interrogation of the gold traders is underway to get more details about their business. “We are trying to collect information from the detainees to trace the traders to whom they have sold gold. On the basis of their information, we will take necessary action,” he pointed out.
