JAISALMER: A poor footwear artisan from Gudamalani in Rajasthan’s Balotra district, who earns barely Rs 10,000–15,000 a month by making traditional leather shoes, was left stunned after receiving a GST recovery notice of Rs 6.78 crore issued by the Tamil Nadu Commercial Taxes Department. The notice has also led to the freezing of his bank account.The victim, Jitendra Kumar Jingar, son of Mahadeo Ram Jingar and a resident of Jingar Mohalla, Gudamalani, supports his family through his small-scale footwear business. His financial condition is so weak that he is currently constructing a single-room house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), while his family is temporarily living at his younger brother’s house.Jitendra said he first visited the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Gudamalani on July 25 after discovering that his bank account had been blocked. Bank officials asked him to return on July 28, when they informed him that the account had been frozen due to an outstanding GST liability and handed him the recovery notice.The notice, issued on May 5, 2026, by the assistant commissioner, Krishnagiri-2 Assessment Circle, Tamil Nadu Commercial Taxes Department, states that a firm named Shri Shivam Exports owes Rs 6,78,97,357 in GST dues for the financial years 2017–18 to 2019–20. Based on the GST registration and PAN details, banks were directed to immediately freeze Jitendra’s bank accounts, fixed deposits, and overdraft facilities.Officials suspect that an interstate cyber fraud syndicate misused Jitendra’s PAN card and identity documents to establish a fake export firm using a Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, address.Jitendra maintains that he has never submitted his documents to establish any company and has no connection with Tamil Nadu or any export business. .He suspects his personal data may have been leaked when he submitted documents to a finance company in Barmer while applying for a loan in 2018. During the process, an executive had also taken an OTP to verify his CIBIL record, which he now believes may have been misused.He said his father passed away in 2017, and he later applied for a loan to support his family. Earlier this year, he received the first installment under PMAY and demolished his old mud house to build a new room. His wife, children, and elderly mother are currently living with his younger brother.Balotra Assistant Commercial Tax Officer (ACTO) Bihari Lal said the case appears to involve the misuse of a PAN card to create a fraudulent business in another state. He advised the victim to immediately lodge an FIR at the Cyber Crime Police Station. He added that once the GST notice is submitted, the local tax department can help determine which mobile number, email address, and documents were used during the fake firm’s registration.The ACTO also urged the public to remain cautious, warning that fraudsters often misuse identity documents collected in the name of loans or government welfare schemes to create fake firms and operate fraudulent bank accounts.
