Elderly TN woman's Aadhaar, PAN misused in Rs 2.53 crore GST fraud

CHENNAI: A 71-year-old woman from Uthangarai has alleged that her Aadhaar and PAN card details were misused to obtain a fake GST registration and evade taxes amounting to Rs 2.53 crore, following which her bank account was frozen over the alleged tax dues.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the woman, Lakshmi (71), of Indira Nagar in Uthangarai, submitted a complaint at the Krishnagiri district Superintendent of Police’s office on Monday, seeking an investigation and action against those responsible for the alleged fraud.

Bank account frozen over GST dues

Lakshmi had recently visited her bank to withdraw money when the manager informed her that her account had been frozen by the Commercial Taxes Department. On inquiry, she was told that an order issued by the Assistant Commissioner of the Ambur Commercial Taxes Assessment Circle had led to the freezing of her account.

According to the department’s communication, a private company registered in Lakshmi’s name had outstanding GST dues of Rs 2,53,23,676 for the 2018-19 financial year.

Lakshmi said she had no connection with the company mentioned by the Commercial Taxes Department and had never operated such a business.

Son’s account also frozen

In her complaint, Lakshmi alleged that unidentified persons had misused copies of her Aadhaar and PAN cards to fraudulently obtain GST registration in her name and evade taxes worth Rs 2.53 crore.

She also stated that her son Ramakrishnan’s bank account had been frozen over the same GST dues. Ramakrishnan is a daily wage worker and maintains a savings account at another bank branch.

Lakshmi urged the police to conduct a detailed investigation, identify and take action against those responsible, and ensure that both her and her son’s frozen bank accounts are restored.