Maharashtra shop owner gets Rs 23 crore GST memo after crooks use his documents for Rs 105cr dealings

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A 37-year-old owner of a small electrical appliances shop in Hingoli's Vasmat taluka was left stunned after receiving a GST notice of over Rs 23 crore, allegedly due to fraudulent transactions worth Rs 105.80 crore carried out by unidentified persons using his PAN and Aadhaar details. An FIR has been registered at the Vasmat police station in connection with the case.

Confirming the development, SP Neelabh Rohan said, "We have registered an FIR and initiated a detailed probe into the matter. The case involves suspected identity theft and financial fraud. Technical and financial trails are being examined to identify those responsible."

Rajesh Dumane, who runs a modest electrical shop in Thakkar Complex, said he does not even fall under the lowest GST or income tax slab due to his limited earnings. "I started this shop in 2012. Due to my low income, I do not qualify even for the lowest GST or income tax slab. However, on Jan 1, 2026, I received a message from the bank stating that my account had been frozen over pending GST dues," Dumane told TOI.

He said he rushed to the branch of a nationalised bank in Vasmat the next day, where officials informed him that a GST notice had been issued against him, prompting the freeze on his savings account. "I was later told that transactions worth Rs 105.8 crore had been carried out using my PAN and Aadhaar. I was shocked as I have never conducted any such business," he added.

Subsequent inquiries with a chartered accountant revealed that a firm named ‘Brilliant Enterprises' was registered in his name in Hyderabad on July 29, 2023, allegedly using his identity documents. The firm reportedly operated from an address in the Miyapur area of Hyderabad and used two mobile numbers and an email ID for registration — none of which belonged to Dumane.

In his complaint, Dumane stated that he had travelled to Pune in Dec 2022 in search of work due to poor income from his shop. Between Dec 2022 and July 2023, he worked as a delivery boy with an online food company and later as a technician with a private firm until August 2023, before returning to Vasmat in Sept 2023. He suspected that his PAN and Aadhaar details, shared during this period for employment purposes, may have been misused by fraudsters.

"I am a very ordinary person. I have not set up any such company, nor has any money from these transactions come into my bank account. Someone has fraudulently created this firm using my documents and carried out massive transactions," he stated in his complaint.

Dumane alleged that he tried to get an FIR registered for weeks, but faced delays. It was only after the intervention of Hingoli superintendent of police Neelabh Rohan that the case was registered on March 28 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said further investigation is underway to trace the accused and ascertain the scale of the fraud.