Jaisalmer: A footwear artisan from Rajasthan’s Balotra district, who earns barely Rs 10,000-15,000 a month making traditional leather shoes, was left stunned after receiving a GST recovery notice of Rs 6.78 crore from the Tamil Nadu Commercial Taxes Dept. The notice also resulted in his bank account being frozen.Jitendra Kumar Jingar, a resident of Gudamalani in Balotra, said he supports his family through his small footwear business and is currently building a one-room house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). His family is temporarily living with his younger brother.Jitendra said he discovered his SBI account had been blocked when he visited the Gudamalani branch on July 25. On returning on July 28, bank officials informed him that the account had been frozen over an outstanding GST liability and handed him a recovery notice.The notice, issued on May 5 by the assistant commissioner of the Krishnagiri-2 Assessment Circle in Tamil Nadu, stated that a firm named Shri Shivam Exports owed Rs 6.78 crore in GST dues for FY 2017-18 to 2019-20. Based on the firm’s GST registration and PAN details, banks were directed to freeze Jitendra’s accounts and deposits.Officials suspect an interstate cyber fraud syndicate misused Jitendra’s PAN and identity documents to register the fake export firm in Tamil Nadu. Jitendra said he has never visited the state or authorised anyone to start a business in his name. He suspects his documents were misused after he submitted them to a finance company in Barmer while applying for a loan in 2018.Balotra assistant commercial tax officer Bihari Lal advised him to file an FIR with the Cyber Crime Police Station, adding that the dept would help trace the documents, mobile number and email used to register the fraudulent firm. He also urged people to be cautious while sharing identity documents, warning that fraudsters often misuse them to create fake firms and operate fraudulent bank accounts.
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