ROURKELA: GST officials on Thursday detained a 30-year-old man after he failed to produce valid documents for carrying around 61 kg silver worth around Rs 54 lakh to Rs 61 lakh the previous night.
The accused, Chandan Soni (30) of Ranchi in Jharkhand, was nabbed by Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel while they were carrying out regular search activities at the Rourkela railway station on Wednesday night. GRP police station IIC Reshma Ekka said Soni was found waiting to board a train along with a trolley luggage and a backpack.
“He was waiting to board the Hatia-bound Tapaswini Express when the GRP team searched his belongings and found the silver contraband bundled in small packs. Subsequently, he was handed over to the SGST for further action,” the IIC said.
Deputy Commissioner of SGST Jagdish Saha said as per preliminary investigation, Soni had brought about 51 kg of silver ornaments from Agra in Uttar Pradesh and collected the remaining 10 kg from Rourkela in the shape of brick.
“Soni could not produce any valid documents for the silver ornaments procured from Agra. Verification is underway from tax evasion angle. The silver seized would be deposited at the district treasury in Rourkela,” he added.
