Rajasthan Potter Gets IT Notice For Rs 10.5 Crore, Files Complaint

JAIPUR:
A potter from Jhaliji Ka Barana village in Rajasthan’s Bundi district has been served a notice by the Income Tax Department, asking him to deposit a staggering Rs 10.5 crore.

The youth, Vishnu Kumar Prajapat, who earns his living by making and selling earthen pots, claims he has no connection to the transactions in question and suspects his identity has been misused.

The notice, dated March 11, was issued by the Income Tax Department in Bundi. It is alleged that Vishnu was involved in a sales transaction worth Rs 10.61 crore with an individual named Surendra Singh Babel during the financial year 2020–21.

However, Vishnu insisted that he never met or heard of this person.

Disturbed and sleepless since receiving the notice, Vishnu made repeated visits to the Income Tax offices in Bundi and Kota, but has received no relief.

Frustrated, he lodged a formal complaint at the Cyber Police Station in Bundi. The police have now launched an investigation into the matter.

According to Vishnu, upon checking the Income Tax and GST Department websites, he discovered that a GST registration was fraudulently created in his name on March 19, 2020.

The registration was for a sole proprietorship firm named Bhumika Trading, based in Girgaon, Mumbai.

Vishnu claims an unknown individual used his Aadhaar, PAN, and other personal documents to set up the firm and carry out transactions.

Records show the fraudulent firm conducted financial dealings worth Rs 2.83 crore with another private limited company, whose two directors’ names are publicly available online.

Vishnu maintains he has no connection to this company or the transactions.

The GST registration for Bhumika Trading has since been cancelled by the department due to non-filing of returns, said officials.

The financial transactions in question reportedly occurred between March 19, 2020, and February 1, 2021—a period during which Vishnu claims complete ignorance of any such activity.

The Income Tax Department has given Vishnu until March 31, 2025, to respond to the notice.

In his response, Vishnu has declared his annual income as just Rs 95,000, marking his first-ever income tax filing. Meanwhile, the investigation has started, and a further probe is on, said officials.