Traders using parcel service to evade tax; heist reveals underground deals

THE recent highway heist in Alappuzha has exposed a tax evasion racket involved in the underground transfer of money by gold merchants.

- BIJU E PAUL @ Alappuzha

The complaint regarding the heist was filed by a Marwadi businessman based in Kollam, who distributes gold ornaments to various jewellery stores across South India.

According to police sources, Appas Ramachandra Sait has been distributing gold ornaments to jewellery shops in several southern states. If the transactions are done legally, a significant amount of tax has to be paid by the merchants. However, to evade these taxes, merchants use clandestine methods to transfer money, one of which resulted in a highway robbery.