A farmer in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura received a notice of ₹30 crore from the Income Tax Department. The notice was reportedly linked to "fake GST number and PAN card" fraud.

Earlier, a juice seller, a locksmith and a contract employee said they received tax notices worth crores. These incidents raise serious questions about identity misuse and cyber fraud.

Saurabh Kumar, a farmer in UP's Mathura, said he received the Income Tax notice worth ₹30 crore on March 26. "I have never seen ₹30 crore and I have received this notice," he said.

What led to ₹30 crore Income Tax notice?

After receiving the latest notice, Saurabh consulted a friend who helped him look into the issue, the Free Press Journal reported.

They found that his PAN card had been misused to register two fake GST numbers and fraudulent firms were operating in his name. He reportedly claimed that he has no connection to these businesses, yet his identity is being used for financial fraud.

Explaining what led to the notice, Saurabh Kumar told local news, "Someone used my PAN and GST number to create a firm. They made some transactions due to which I have received this notice."

"I never received any mail, call or OTP. Only through this notice did I learn that the Income Tax Department had sent me this notice," he said.

Saurabh Kumar said he has registered a complaint with police and will also approach the Income Tax Department about the matter. "Police assured that they will conduct strict probe into the matter," he said.

This was not the first time Saurabh received such a notice. According to the Free Press journal, he was issued a notice of ₹4 crore in 2022, which he ignored, assuming it was a mistake.

More victims in UP

In recent weeks, several low-income workers, including a juice seller, a locksmith and a contract employee, received tax notices worth crores.

Karan Kumar, a contract worker, received an I-T notice for ₹34 crore. He earns only ₹15,000 per month. Mohammad Rais, a juice seller in Aligarh Civil Court, received a notice of over ₹7 crore. Yogesh, a locksmith (tala karigar) from Aligarh, was issued a notice of ₹11 crore.

These incidents have raised serious questions about identity misuse and cyber fraud under the Yogi Adityanath led government in Uttar Pradesh.

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.