An Aligarh factory worker, a cleaner, and a juice vendor were left in shock and distress after receiving Income Tax notices demanding crores of rupees in unpaid taxes, all in the past fortnight, reported NDTV. The bizarre incident has raised concerns about identity fraud and the misuse of Aadhaar and PAN details.
Among the victims is Yogesh Sharma, a factory worker who manufactures springs for locks. His financial condition is so dire that his electricity was cut off because he couldn’t afford to pay the bill. His struggles worsened when he received an Income Tax notice demanding ₹11.12 crore.
“The notice is dated March 20 and says that I owe the Income Tax department ₹11.12 crore ( ₹11,11,85,991). I have never even heard of such an amount, much less seen it. My wife and I haven't eaten since we got the notice. I live on rent and the electricity has been cut since a week because I have not been able to pay the bill," Yogesh Sharma told NDTV.
Karan Kumar, a cleaner earning ₹15,000 per month under a contract with the State Bank of India, was another victim. He received a tax notice for ₹33.89 crore.
“I received the notice around 4 pm on Saturday. I have no idea how this has happened. I am trying to get this investigated and have been waiting for the first information report to be registered. I suspect that my PAN card and Aadhaar have been misused,” Kumar explained.
The third case is that of Mohammed Raees, a small juice vendor, who was handed a notice for ₹7.8 crore in tax dues.
‘I have never seen so much money’
“I don't know why this notice has been issued. I only sell juice. I have never seen so much money. What should I do now? We approached the IT authorities who asked me if I had shared my personal documents with anyone. I said I have never done that," Raees said.
His friend Sohail expressed disbelief, saying, “If Raees was a millionaire, would he run a juice shop? This is definitely a case of fraud.”
With multiple cases surfacing in Aligarh in just a fortnight, authorities suspect misuse of Aadhaar and PAN details, possibly by fraudsters using stolen identities to conduct high-value transactions. Investigations are now underway to determine the real culprits behind these shocking tax notices.
