ROURKELA: The Government Railway Police (GRP) in Rourkela uncovered a major haul of around 61 kg of silver from a man hailing from Jharkhand. The State GST authorities have initiated an inquiry into potential tax evasion following the seizure of the consignment. Based on its purity, the total value of the seized silver is estimated to range between ₹54 lakh and ₹61 lakh. Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of the GRP station, Reshma Ekka, stated that the discovery was made during routine search operations at Rourkela railway station on Wednesday around 9:30 am. The GRP team observed suspicious behaviour from a man waiting at the station with a trolley bag and a backpack.“He was about to board the delayed Hatia-bound Tapaswini Express when the GRP team accosted him. Upon searching his luggage, the team found the silver contraband packed in small bundles,” Ekka said. The suspect, identified as Chandan Soni (30) from Ranchi, Jharkhand, was taken into custody along with the contraband. Both were handed over to the State GST authorities for further investigation. Deputy Commissioner of SGST, Jagdish Saha, said on Thursday that preliminary investigations revealed Soni had brought approximately 51 kg of silver ornaments from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, and also collected about 10 kg of silver in the form of bricks from Rourkela. “There were no purchase documents for the bricks,” Saha said. “While the man claimed to have valid documents for the silver ornaments, he failed to produce them for the majority of the consignment procured from Agra.” Saha added that verification of the available documents was ongoing to assess potential tax evasion. The seized silver is set to be deposited at the district treasury in Rourkela. It is understood that the State GST levies a 3 per cent tax on gold and silver.
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