In Patan district of Gujarat, tea vendor Khemraj Dave was stunned when the Income Tax Department sent him a notice demanding 49 crores. The notice, which could turn his life upside down, prompted him to file a fraud complaint with the police.
For the past decade, Khemraj has been selling tea in Patan's Ganj Bazaar, supporting his family with this humble business. He first received a notice in August last year, but he ignored it because it was in English. When the IT Department sent a second notice, he consulted a lawyer and learned about the hefty penalty imposed on him.
Why was a 49 crore notice issued?
Khemraj Dave, who did not have a PAN card, entrusted his documents to agents Alpesh Patel and Vipul Patel to procure one for him. They operated in the same market, hence Khemraj trusted them with his details.
Signatures forged for bank transactions
The police revealed Khemraj's complaint indicated his signatures were used to open bank accounts for transactions, which led to repeated penalty notices from the tax authorities. He found no major transactions in his account, arousing his suspicion and when he finally reached out to the agents, they had vanished.
Complaint filed with police
Khemraj, unable to read and write English, was duped by Alpesh and Vipul who opened multiple bank accounts with his PAN card and conducted substantial transactions in his name, which led to tax notices. After receiving multiple notices, Khemraj bravely filed a complaint against them. The police have initiated an investigation under various sections of the IPC for fraud and betrayal.
