160-kg gold haul: Refinery raided at Nadaun

Hamirpur, January 19

Sleuths of the Income Tax Department raided the premises of a gold refinery at Nadaun, near here, last evening.

It has been learnt that the raid was in connection with the raw gold haul of over 160 kg on the Chandigarh airport road on January 17. Sources revealed that there had been raids on other premises of the promoters of the gold refinery a few weeks ago at Ludhiana, Bangaluru and Nadaun.

Prabhat Chaudhary owns AJ Gold Refinery, located at Nadaun, with his other partners. The raw material, called gold dust, is procured from Ghana in Africa. It is refined and further sold by the company. The turnover of the company is over Rs 1,200 annually and is one of the highest income tax paying unit of the region.

Meanwhile, the confiscation of 160 kg raw gold has surprised the local police and administration too.

Prabhat Chaudhary, owner of the company, said the consignment of the raw gold was being ferried from the Delhi airport to the refinery at Nadaun and was cleared by the Customs Department. He said he had all the documents to produce before the authorities and there was nothing illegal in it.

Suresh Kumar, Income Tax Officer, said here that a team of Income Tax officials had gone to verify the credentials of the gold refinery. Some officers from the Panchkula office also inspected the refinery premises, he added. — OC