New Delhi: In a shockingly bizarre incident, a roadside washerman in Ajmer’s Ramganj area was issued a notice by the Income Tax department over bank transactions worth over Rs 598 crore purportedly conducted in his name. The bank transactions were allegedly linked to large-scale diamond trading, as per a Times of India (TOI) report.
What did the washerman say
Speaking to reporters, Jitendra Kumar, the washerman who ekes out a living by washing and ironing clothes, said that he has no clue about the bank account and the transactions cited in the notice. He asserted that the bank account mentioned did not belong to him.
As per the report, Kumar had been running from pillar to post — visiting police stations and offices of lawyers — to settle the issue for several days. The harrowing ordeal left him distressed and he was unable to carry out his job for many days.
The report said that Kumar said he had lost his PAN card two years ago during a function in Pali. His advocate contends that the culprit may have misused his PAN card and his identity. The I-T department has also issued a separate notice to the manager of the private bank where the account is believed to be held.
FIR lodged against bank, man operating account
Rakesh Thada, Kumar’s lawyer, was quoted by TOI as saying that an FIR has been lodged against the bank and the unidentified person operating the account in Kumar’s name. Thada claimed that the account was being operated by a Pali-based businessman for a diamond company in Gujarat’s Surat.
The advocate pointed out that the show-cause notice issued by the I-T department related to bank transactions worth more than Rs 598 crore. The FIR had been filed at the Ganj police station so that the facts become clear, he added. Police have said that they have received the complaint filed by Kumar and were looking into the case.