The State Goods and Services Tax (GST) Department has detected large-scale turnover suppression amounting to ₹157.87 crore during an extensive inspection campaign across restaurants in the Kerala.
The surprise inspections, aptly named “Operation Honeydukes,” commenced at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and continued well into the early hours of Thursday. The coordinated operation was jointly executed by the Intelligence and Enforcement Wings of the State GST Department, marking one of the largest such drives in recent times.
According to official sources, 41 inspection squads simultaneously raided 42 restaurants across multiple districts. The preliminary findings indicate that several establishments were involved in concealing actual sales turnover to evade tax liabilities. The teams unearthed suppressed turnover worth ₹157.87 crore and detected tax evasion estimated at ₹7.89 crore, based on provisional figures released by the department.
Officials revealed that the restaurants under scrutiny had allegedly manipulated billing systems and failed to record actual sales, thereby evading GST payments. Electronic data, point-of-sale records, and account books were examined during the raids, with further scrutiny expected in the coming days.
