MIRPUR: Joint teams of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s (AJK) Excise and Taxation Department and police have upped their crackdown against tax evasion in the cigarette industry.
Many raids were conducted on warehouses and different offices of the National Tobacco Company (NTC), Walton Tobacco Company (WTC), Chinar Tobacco Company (CTC), and Warna Tobacco Company (WTC) in Mirpur, Bhimber and Barnala.
In the raid at a warehouse of Watan Tobacco Company under the supervision of DSP HQ Naseer Ahmed along with IRO Inland Muhammad Shakeel, authorities seized raw material cigarettes including 3,230 bags of raw tobacco, 504 cartons filter rods, 45 cartons of filter paper, 90 cartons of cigarette brand Express, 33 cartons of cigarette brand Grace, and 31 cartons of cigarette brand Hero.
The authorities later sealed the godown and launched legal procedures against the owner and the warehouse manager.
Crackdown Against Tax Evasion in Cigarette Industry
In another operation, the authorities raided the warehouse of National Tobacco Company, Bhimber and confiscated 3,811 cartons of illegal cigarettes and over 384,000 kgs of raw tobacco.
Likewise, during a raid on the Walton Tobacco Company, Barnala government authorities confiscated ten cartons of illegal cigarettes, ten bags of tobacco to prepare 100 million cigarette sticks and 19 cigarette paper rolls and other related materials.
In another operation, authorities raided a house taken on rent by the National Tobacco Company. During the raid, the authorities confiscated 85 cartons of filter rods, 17 cartons of illegal cigarettes, 16 cartons of cigarette tape, 67 cartons of cigarette paper, 10,000 kgs of raw tobacco and other raw material.
In a separate raid at Chanar Tobacco Company, Barnala, the authorities seized 731 bags of tobacco.
