Struggling with unemployment, a young man from Muzaffarnagar was in for the shock of his life when a team from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) department landed up at his doorstep and told him that a company was being run in his name and a fraud to the tune of Rs 250 crore had been committed. 

When the real story began to emerge, it was found that the fraudsters had used the fact that the man was unemployed to trick him into parting with all his details, including crucial documents.

Ashwani Kumar, a resident of Barsu village in Muzaffarnagar’s Ratanpuri police station area, received a call on WhatsApp a few days ago. He was offered a job and then asked to send a list of documents, including his Aadhaar card and the house’s electricity bill. Intent on conning him, the fraudsters twisted the knife even further and asked him to pay Rs 1,750 to them to process his application. 

While Mr Kumar didn’t hear from the fraudsters again, a GST team knocked on his door this week and told him that a company in his name, with his home as its registered address, had created fake e-way bills worth Rs 250 crore. Meant to be proof of delivering goods or services, such bills are also used as tax evasion tools.

A flabbergasted Mr Kumar told the team that he owned no such company and had never even seen sums close to what were being described. 

After investigating the incident and sensing a fraud, the GST team contacted the police station. A complaint has now been registered.

“I got a job call a few days ago and they asked me for documents, including my father’s Aadhaar card and our electricity bill. They also asked for Rs 1,750, which I transferred. The GST officials told me that some firm is running in my name and massive transactions have been made. A police complaint has been filed and officials have taken down the details,” said Mr Kumar. 

Muzaffarnagar (Rural) Superintendent of Police Aditya Bansal said, “No money has been deposited in his account. It appears that Mr Kumar was conned after being promised a job and an e-way billing fraud has been carried out. We are in touch with the GST department and further investigation is on.”