Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sept 2: A shocking case of large-scale identity theft has emerged after a Bengaluru woman filed a police complaint alleging that her husband’s Permanent Account Number (PAN) card was fraudulently exploited to create multiple fake Goods and Services Tax (GST) registrations, resulting in fraudulent transactions worth Rs 43 crore.
The complainant revealed that her husband, currently working abroad, had been filing his income tax returns regularly and without issue. However, during the latest annual tax filing on August 16, their family auditor spotted unusually high-value transactions recorded in his Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Form 26AS — official documents consolidating a taxpayer’s financial activity.
Upon deeper investigation, it was discovered that unknown individuals had misused the PAN card details to generate numerous bogus GST registration numbers. These fake GST accounts were then used to conduct extensive financial dealings, falsely attributing the transactions to the complainant’s husband.
“We had no knowledge or involvement in any such business activities,” the family said in their complaint, expressing shock at the scale of the fraud and alleging that anonymous perpetrators had laundered vast sums of money through these counterfeit GST accounts.
The family has urged the police to identify those responsible and clear their husband’s tax records of the fraudulent entries. Authorities have registered a case and are currently probing how the PAN details were accessed and exploited.
Advocate Raghavendra Sanjeevarao, a High Court lawyer, said, “This is a classic case of cyber fraud and white-collar crime involving misuse of personal identity. Tracking the culprits is extremely challenging, especially if they have closed fake accounts and laundered funds through complex channels before disappearing.”
He further explained that despite stricter verification protocols introduced under GST in recent years, loopholes remain. Fraudsters exploit these gaps by using stolen identities to create sham businesses, conduct illicit transactions, and vanish without a trace.
“Individuals from all walks of life have been implicated in such crimes, making it imperative to tighten enforcement and monitoring,” he added.
The incident highlights growing concerns over identity theft in the financial system and the need for vigilance among taxpayers.