48-year old Ladun Murmu, a daily wage labourer earning Rs 198 per day under the rural jobs guarantee scheme or MGNREGA, had never thought in his wildest dreams that he will ever land in trouble for neglecting a notice for non-payment of Rs 3.5 crore as Goods and Services Tax (GST). But, he was shocked to know that a police team reached his thatched house in Raipahari village under Musabani Police Station of East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand on Thursday to arrest him for the offence.
Ladun clarified that he had no clue how was he made the MD of a company when his MGNREGA enlisting earned him no more than Rs 198 a day, making it an everyday struggle to make both ends meet
The police on the insistence of local villagers did not arrest Ladun as they succeeded in convincing the police team that he was a daily wage worker, but his difficulties are still not over as he has already been named as an accused in the alleged GST fraud involving Rs 3.5 crore. Ladun, however, clarified that he had no idea how his name appeared in the case and how he was made the Managing Director (MD) of the company MS Steel when he has been struggling to make his two ends meet.
Apparently, it appears to be a matter of GST fraud where GST number was issued by the officials without physical verification of Aadhar and PAN Cards. When the fraud was disclosed, it was found that the Aadhar, PAN and account number belonged to Ladun Murmu. The said company has sold steel worth more than Rs 5 crore through e-way bills in 2018-19, but did not pay GST for the transaction.
The Commercial Tax officials issued a notice and during investigations, it was found that the company has fraudulently been formed in the name of Ladun Murmu, a daily wage earner, for evading GST. The police also asserted that a case has been lodged in Musabani Police Station and an investigation has been initiated into the matter
“Though, a case has been lodged in this regard, it is still in a very initial stage and anything could be said only after proper investigations into the matter,” said Probationer Sub-Inspector Surendra Kumar Mahto, who is currently in-charge of Musabani Police Station. The police team, on the basis of the FIR lodged for non-payment of GST even after a notice was served on the firm in this regard last year, had gone to arrest the MD of a fake company MS Steel, Ladun Murmu. But as soon as it reached the spot, realized that the conmen had set up a fake company in his name by using his duplicate PAN and Aadhar cards, he added. The officer further added that a special police team has been set up by SSP M Tamil Vanan to get into the details of the matter.
According to Ladun, his nephew Baila Murmu had taken his passbook, Aadhar and PAN cards two years back on the pretext that he will get Rs 2000 per month from the government in his bank account. Later, Baila handed over the documents to his son-in-law Sunaram Hembram, a resident of Galudih Dewli. Ladun told that Sunram, in turn, handed those documents to Sushant Kumar Samanto, who lives at Sonari in Jamshedpur. Ladun has no idea what happened after that.
Meanwhile, no money came to his account, he claimed. Ladun further added that commercial tax officials had visited his house in September last year and handed him a notice for payment of Rs 3.50 crore as GST due to him.
