Uttar Pradesh farmer claims identity misuse after receiving Rs 14.66 crore tax notices

Budaun (UP): A farmer in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh was left stunned after receiving tax notices of Rs 14.66 crore, allegedly for a fraudulent firm operating by using his name in Delhi.

After the farmer submitted a formal application, a two-member team, comprising the Additional District Magistrate (Finance) and the Deputy Commissioner (GST), has been constituted to investigate the matter," Budaun District Magistrate Avneesh Rai said on Saturday.

Upon inquiring about the matter with departmental officials, they said that a firm named "Ram Store" was being operated under his name in Delhi's Naraina Industrial Area (Phase-1), which has outstanding income tax dues amounting to Rs 1.02 crore, the farmer Bhola Singh told PTI.

Meanwhile, the GST office also issued a notice to Singh, citing a Goods and Services Tax liability amounting to Rs 13.63 crore, he said.

Singh, a resident of Khurrampur Bhamori in the Wazirganj area, said that on March 29, he received a notice from the Income Tax Department in Budaun, directing him to deposit a sum of Rs 1.02 crore.

He claimed that he had never travelled to Delhi, nor had he ever established any firm or business enterprise.

Subsequently, he submitted a formal complaint to the Budaun District Magistrate, Singh said.

Taking the matter seriously, the District Magistrate issued directives to the concerned departments to conduct an investigation and resolve the issue. During their preliminary investigation, GST officials discovered that the firm against which these tax dues are pending used the farmer's Aadhaar and PAN numbers.

It is evident from this that an unidentified individual misused his documents to set up a fraudulent firm and conducted transactions worth crores, officials said.

Officials advised the farmer to file a complaint at the Cyber Crime police station or the nearest police station, the farmer said.

However, when the aggrieved farmer approached the Wazirganj Police Station and the Cyber Police Station, his report was not registered there, thereby further compounding his troubles, he claimed.

Budaun District Magistrate Avneesh Rai on Saturday said that a farmer has received a notice from the Income Tax and GST department informing him to pay the taxes.

"The farmer has apprised the authorities of the notice by submitting a formal written application. A two-member team, comprising the Additional District Magistrate (Finance) and the Deputy Commissioner (GST), has been constituted to investigate the matter," the DM said.

The case appears to involve fraud and forgery. The team will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, and legal action will be initiated against the guilty parties," the DM said.

The farmer also asserted that he would be unable to repay such a colossal sum even if he sells off all his land and assets. He has appealed to the administration to conduct an impartial inquiry into the matter, take strict action against the culprits, and ensure that he gets justice.