Madhya Pradesh Cook Earning Rs 10,000 Served With Shocking Rs 46-Crore Tax Notice
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A cook from Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, earning just Rs 10,000 a month, has been dragged into an unbelievable ordeal after receiving an income tax notice demanding Rs 46 crore. What should have been a modest life of hard work at a dhaba has now turned into a battle for survival, with endless visits to government offices and police stations.
The man, identified as Ravindra Singh Chauhan , originally from Gandhi Nagar in Bhind and working in Gwalior, said he had never even dreamt of such an amount. "I work in a dhaba, there has not been a transaction of even three lakh rupees in my account in a year, then how did this notice of crores come?" he said.
The roots of this trouble stretch back to 2017-18, when Ravindra worked as a helper at a toll plaza. His supervisor, Shashi Bhushan Rai from Bihar, persuaded him to open a bank account in Delhi, promising faster PF withdrawals and an additional monthly incentive. In November 2019, Ravindra and three colleagues opened the accounts. But the promised benefits never came. When Ravindra later tried to close the account, he was told it required clearance from the GST branch. Trusting his supervisor again, he left the matter to him. By 2022, the supervisor had quit and vanished, leaving Ravindra with no idea of what was happening in his name.
On April 9, 2025, a notice from the Income Tax Department arrived at his house in Bhind. Poorly educated and unable to read English, Ravindra and his wife failed to understand it. A second notice came in July, prompting him to consult a local lawyer, Pradyuman Singh Bhadoria, who revealed the shocking truth: transactions worth Rs 46 crore had been routed through an account opened in Ravindra’s name.
Further checks showed that while his Bhind account recorded less than Rs 3 lakh in three years, the Delhi account was linked to a firm called Shaurya Trading Company, which handled crores of rupees. Around Rs 13 lakh was still sitting in that account.
With the help of his lawyer, Ravindra approached the Income Tax office in Gwalior and later lodged a police complaint. But the Gwalior police refused to take up the case, insisting it fell under Delhi’s jurisdiction. "The complainant had opened the account in Delhi with his supervisor. The financial transactions also took place in Delhi. No crime has taken place in Gwalior. The applicant should go to Delhi and file a complaint," officials said.
The cook’s life has since fallen apart. He has left his job and spends his days running between offices, fighting to prove his innocence. His family, already struggling with poverty, has been pushed into deeper misery. "I had to leave school after Class 6 because of poverty. I started cooking to survive. Now I don't know why I am being punished for something I never did," Ravindra said, his voice filled with despair.
For Ravindra, the struggle has only just begun. What was meant to be a simple livelihood has now turned into a battle to clear his name and escape the crushing burden of a Rs 46-crore notice that he never imagined could enter his life.
The man, identified as Ravindra Singh Chauhan , originally from Gandhi Nagar in Bhind and working in Gwalior, said he had never even dreamt of such an amount. "I work in a dhaba, there has not been a transaction of even three lakh rupees in my account in a year, then how did this notice of crores come?" he said.
The roots of this trouble stretch back to 2017-18, when Ravindra worked as a helper at a toll plaza. His supervisor, Shashi Bhushan Rai from Bihar, persuaded him to open a bank account in Delhi, promising faster PF withdrawals and an additional monthly incentive. In November 2019, Ravindra and three colleagues opened the accounts. But the promised benefits never came. When Ravindra later tried to close the account, he was told it required clearance from the GST branch. Trusting his supervisor again, he left the matter to him. By 2022, the supervisor had quit and vanished, leaving Ravindra with no idea of what was happening in his name.
On April 9, 2025, a notice from the Income Tax Department arrived at his house in Bhind. Poorly educated and unable to read English, Ravindra and his wife failed to understand it. A second notice came in July, prompting him to consult a local lawyer, Pradyuman Singh Bhadoria, who revealed the shocking truth: transactions worth Rs 46 crore had been routed through an account opened in Ravindra’s name.
Further checks showed that while his Bhind account recorded less than Rs 3 lakh in three years, the Delhi account was linked to a firm called Shaurya Trading Company, which handled crores of rupees. Around Rs 13 lakh was still sitting in that account.
With the help of his lawyer, Ravindra approached the Income Tax office in Gwalior and later lodged a police complaint. But the Gwalior police refused to take up the case, insisting it fell under Delhi’s jurisdiction. "The complainant had opened the account in Delhi with his supervisor. The financial transactions also took place in Delhi. No crime has taken place in Gwalior. The applicant should go to Delhi and file a complaint," officials said.
The cook’s life has since fallen apart. He has left his job and spends his days running between offices, fighting to prove his innocence. His family, already struggling with poverty, has been pushed into deeper misery. "I had to leave school after Class 6 because of poverty. I started cooking to survive. Now I don't know why I am being punished for something I never did," Ravindra said, his voice filled with despair.
For Ravindra, the struggle has only just begun. What was meant to be a simple livelihood has now turned into a battle to clear his name and escape the crushing burden of a Rs 46-crore notice that he never imagined could enter his life.
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