A/c poached? Madhya Pradesh egg seller gets I-T letter on Rs 50 crore 'deals'

BHOPAL: A small-time roadside egg seller from the sleepy town of Patharia in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh, got the shock of his life when he received a notice from the Income Tax Department.
The notice demanded clarification on financial transactions amounting to nearly Rs 50 crore - a sum so enormous, it might as well have been from another world for someone who earns a living pushing a handcart of eggs.
Prince Suman, the young man in question, could hardly believe his eyes. The notice, which covered transactions from the financial years 2022 to 2023, left not just him but his entire family stunned. They couldn't believe how such a large amount could be connected to their modest livelihood. Overwhelmed and confused, Prince was at a loss for how to resolve this seemingly impossible situation. In desperation, he turned to the local authorities, submitting a formal complaint to the Superintendent of Police in Damoh and other officials.

The notice, sent by the Delhi Income Tax Department on March 20, demanded a detailed account of financial dealings amounting to Rs 49 crore 24 lakh 57 thousand 217. The authorities asked for documents such as bills, vouchers for materials purchased over the past two years, transportation records, and bank statements for the year 2022-23.
It's believed that his personal documents had been misused. Those involved had fraudulently registered a company in his name, "Prince Enterprise," in Delhi in Dec 2022. The company's address was listed as Zone 3, Ward 33, Shop No. D 31, Flatted Factory Jhandewalan, Fitted Factory Complex, Delhi. Not only had the firm been registered, but a GST number had also been obtained under false pretences. The company then carried out crores worth of financial transactions before being abruptly shut down.
For Prince, a simple egg seller, this entire ordeal was nothing short of a nightmare, as he now finds himself tangled in a web of fraud he never even knew existed, say locals.
Prince's case is not isolated. Many more similar cases have emerged from MP in recent years, where the IDs of students and young workers have been misused for money laundering, leaving investigators in a tizzy. It's clear that the scale of this fraudulent activity is far larger than initially thought, leaving both victims and investigators scrambling to untangle the web of deceit, say officials.