Personal identification papers and one-time passwords collected from eight unemployed youths from Etah under the pretext of providing entry-level jobs were allegedly misused to float dummy commercial firms, leading to transactions exceeding Rs 90 crore. The fraudulent operations came to light when the Income Tax Department initiated scrutiny into high-value transactions conducted between 2024 and 2026, serving tax demand notices of over Rs 13 lakh each to at least three of the unsuspecting men. The victims, who had traveled to Delhi and Gurugram seeking low-income work as security guards, supervisors, and helpers, have stated they had no involvement in or knowledge of the businesses registered using their identities.
Tax Demands Uncover Fraudulent Business Entities
The paper trail began unraveling after the Income Tax Department started issuing formal assessments. Ankaj Kumar, a resident of Nagla Sundar who visited Gurugram in 2024 in search of work, discovered that his credentials had been used to set up a liquor and tobacco trading firm in Motibagh, South West Delhi. The business reported sales of approximately Rs 2.81 crore, triggering an income tax demand notice exceeding Rs 13.55 lakh against his name.
A similar notice arrived for Ranjit, a police service aspirant from Nagla Rupdhani, who found that a contractor had allegedly obtained his documents during a job search in Gurugram. Without his knowledge, an enterprise named Ranjit Traders had been registered, recording liquor and tobacco sales worth roughly Rs 2.66 crore and leaving him facing a tax notice of about Rs 13.05 lakh. Shivam of Nagla Mewaram was likewise stunned to learn of an entity registered as Shivam Traders Agriculture and Raw Material, which logged transactions of around Rs 2.87 crore and a corresponding tax demand of approximately Rs 13.05 lakh.
Crores in Transactions Traced to Multiple Identities
Official scrutiny has identified several other young job seekers whose permanent account numbers were used to route extensive commercial transactions. A business mapped to the details of Sukhveer Singh from Dinesh Nagar recorded dealings of around Rs 12.83 crore, including transfers involving Lala Dhaniram Ramesh Kumar & Co. In another case, an entity linked to Varun Jain of Purani Basti handled business volume exceeding Rs 61.09 crore through Delhi-based Sugandha Enterprises.
Additional transactions of considerable size were documented across other profiles. A firm tied to the identity records of Atiraj Singh from Raja Ka Rampur saw operations amounting to about Rs 14.58 crore involving enterprises in Delhi and Ghaziabad. Satendra Kumar, a resident of Manaura village, was linked through his credentials to transactions of around Rs 1.10 crore conducted with Baba Metal Company.
Investigators Probe Role of Intermediaries and Chartered Accountants
Investigators are now working to determine who conceived the operation, who gained access to the banking channels, and who ultimately benefited from the multi-crore turnover. Inquiries are focused on identifying the individuals who collected the documents and one-time passwords, secured the Goods and Services Tax registrations, and managed day-to-day banking activities without the knowledge of the nominal owners. The possible complicity of a local chartered accountant in facilitating these registrations and bank setups is also being examined.
Income Tax Department officer Vimal Kumar confirmed that eight specific cases remain under active investigation. Tax assessment proceedings will move forward based on the final inquiry findings as authorities seek to identify the actual operators behind the front entities. Meanwhile, the affected youths from Etah continue their efforts to verify how their identities were used and clear their names before tax authorities.
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