Tax officials attacked during raid in Punjab
By IANSFriday, January 28, 2011
LUDHIANA - Two excise and sale tax officials were attacked by the “godown mafia” while conducting raids at a railway warehouse here to check tax evasion and fake billing, police said Friday.
The two officials and their driver were mercilessly beaten up with batons by around 15 people when they were conducting a raid at the warehouse in this industrial town Wednesday evening. Police have booked unidentified people in the case.
“Excise and sale tax officials had got information about tax evasion and fake billing, so they went to conduct raids at the railway godown. They were hounded out by members of the godown mafia and three people - two officials and their driver - were injured. Our investigation is on and we are recording the statements of the victims,” Rajinder Singh, inspector, railway police, told IANS.
“The accused are absconding. But we are hopeful of nabbing them at the earliest,” he said.
Police said that around 15 members of the mafia attacked the vehicle of the sales tax officials. The accused were taking goods to the booking counter of the railway station in over 25 autorickshaws when the excise officials tried to stop them.
Ludhiana is around 100 km from state capital Chandigarh.
