A potter who earns just a few pennies a day selling cheap clay pots and other items in Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli has been left devastated after receiving a Goods and Services Tax (GST) notice of Rs 1.25 crore. Mohammad Saeed, a resident near Harchandpur in Rae Bareli, says he has never run a company, as mentioned in the notice, and suspects that his PAN and Aadhaar details were misused to commit fraud in his name.
Saeed, who supports a family of five by making and selling earthen pots, said the notice links him to four companies allegedly operating in Patna.
“We are poor people who survive on a few pennies,” he said. “We make earthen pots and sell kulhars. We earn Rs 10–Rs 20 per hundred in hotels. That is how our family runs”.
According to Saeed, several years ago a villager helped him obtain a Permanent Account Number (PAN) card and Aadhaar card to apply for a loan.
He never received the loan and later lost the documents. Despite repeated attempts, he could neither secure financial assistance nor start any business.
He believes those lost documents were later misused to create fake firms.
“We came to know that four companies are running in Patna in my name. A huge fraud has happened with us,” he said, adding that he had no knowledge of any such entities.
The first GST notice reportedly arrived around six to seven months ago during Navratri. Due to illiteracy, the family did not get it read and failed to grasp its seriousness.
“We were careless and did not get it read by anyone,” Saeed admitted. However, when another notice arrived on February 15, the family sought help to understand it. That is when they learnt about the alleged tax liability of over Rs 1.25 crore.
“After that, the whole family was shocked,” he said. “If you find that we have done any fraud, then punish us like a thief. But if not, please return this to where it came from”.
Saeed’s elder son Farid, 20, and younger son Mana, 18, assist him with pottery work, while his daughters help with household chores.
The family says they are struggling to comprehend how such a massive tax demand could be issued against someone who sells clay items for Rs 2 apiece.
Shocked and distressed, Saeed and his relatives approached the District Magistrate’s office seeking intervention and a thorough probe into the alleged misuse of his identification documents.
Local officials have yet to make a statement on the matter. For now, Saeed waits anxiously, hoping authorities will verify his claims and clear his name, saying all he wants is justice and a proper investigation.
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