Proddatur (Andhra Pradesh): The IT department officials conducted raids on jewellery shops in Proddatur town of YSR Kadapa district on Sunday. Authorities seized around 300 kg of gold without bills from four jewellery shops. The IT officials from Vijayawada and Tirupati have been conducting raids on the shops of Busetti Jewellers and Diamonds, Gururaghavendra and Tallam in Proddutur for the past four days.
Later, gold was seized on a large scale. The seized gold was stored in cardboard boxes and suitcases and transported to Tirupati in vehicles. The officials of the IT department found that a large amount of gold was imported from other places without bills.
Proddatur is famous as the second Mumbai in the gold trade. As a result, the officials conducted raids on four shops based on solid information that illegal gold was being imported on a large scale. There are more than 2,000 gold and jewellery shops in Proddatur.
The rest of the gold traders started worrying about the raids by the IT officials. Fearing raids on their shops, goldsmiths and jewellery shop owners closed their outlets. During the Dussehra festival, all the gold shops were closed, leaving the buyers disappointed.
