The intelligence arm of the finance ministry detected service tax and excise duty evasion worth Rs 15,047 crore in the previous financial year as against Rs 12,112 crore in 2015-16.
The Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI) also arrested 13 tax evaders and registered 1,500 cases of evasion in 2016-17, up from 1,150 the year before.
A sum of Rs 2,410.66 crore was recovered in 2016-17, about 22 per cent more than the Rs 1,975.45 crore realised by it in 2015-16.
DGCEI Director General R K Mahajan said "hard efforts" put in by its officers led to the detection of evasion and recovery of money.
"Officers had to travel to Naxal-affected areas and other difficult parts of the country to unearth new modus operandi followed by tax evaders," Mahajan told PTI.
DGCEI officials had earlier this year exposed gutkha and pan masala factories operating clandestinely to evade excise duty in maoist-hit areas in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.