Man held for evading Rs30 lakh excise duty

Officials of Central Excise on Saturday caught Ishwar Patel, a ceramic tiles manufacturer, for evading excise duty to the tune of Rs30 lakh.

This is the second time that Patel’s company, Himmatnagar-based Sohani Ceramics, was raided for evading duties. However, he coughed up the amount only after being reprimanded. His company manufactures floor tiles.   

According to officials, Patel hid production quantities by not maintaining records of costs incurred.   

“He used to keep an estimated record in his personal computer but not in official log book. Once transactions were done, he would destroy the records so as to avoid excise duties,” said sources.
After officials found out his modus operandi, Patel promptly agreed to pay Rs30 lakh as excise duty.

The company had been raided in 2009, It had then evaded duty to the tune of Rs14 lakh. Further investigations are on.