Income Tax Notice For Rs 40 Crore Transaction To Gwalior Cook Earning Just Rs 10,000! Money Laundering Scam Exposed

What began as a modest life for a roadside dhaba cook has spiraled into an ordeal he never imagined.

Ravindra Singh Chauhan, a native of Bhind now working at a small eatery in Gwalior for just Rs 10,000 a month, found himself staring at an Income Tax notice that accused him of being linked to transactions worth over Rs 40 crore, according to a recent report by India Today.

Ravindra says he had no inkling of such activity until the notice landed at his family’s home earlier this year.

How It All Began

Chauhan recalls meeting a supervisor named Shashi Bhushan Rai during his stint at the Mehra toll plaza back in 2017. Two years later, Rai persuaded him to accompany him to Delhi, assuring him it was just a casual trip. During that visit, Rai opened a bank account in Ravindra’s name, explaining that it would be used to deposit his provident fund.

Trusting him, Ravindra did not suspect foul play. He soon returned to Gwalior and later moved to Pune for work, forgetting about the account altogether.

The truth came crashing down in April of this year when the first income tax notice arrived at his home. His family, unable to read English, ignored it. A second notice in July made them reach out to him.

Chauhan quit his job in Pune and rushed back to Bhind. With the papers in hand, he consulted lawyer Pradyumn Singh in Gwalior, who uncovered the stunning reality: transactions amounting to Rs 46.18 crore had been routed through that account.

“When I heard this, I felt the ground slip beneath my feet,” Chauhan recalls. 

Shocked and helpless, he went to the police, only to be told that no FIR could be filed and that he should approach the Delhi branch where the account had been opened.

A Firm Built On Stolen Identity

According to lawyer Singh, Rai had misused Chauhan’s Aadhaar and PAN details to set up not only the account but also a company named Shaurya International Traders. Through this entity, crores of rupees changed hands between 2019 and 2023. Although the transactions have stopped, approximately Rs 12.5 lakh remains in the account.

“The pattern of money flow clearly indicates laundering of black money into white,” Singh alleged. Despite repeated complaints, he says, the police have remained reluctant to act. Left with no alternative, Chauhan has now approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court, seeking justice.

Caught In The Crossfire

For Chauhan, the ordeal has been nothing short of devastating. “I went everywhere, from the police station to different offices, but no one helped me. Now I have no choice but to fight it out in court,” he said.

His lawyer adds that the Income Tax Department moved in only after verifying the details. “The account was misused to float a company and launder crores. Chauhan, a poor cook, is being dragged into this without his knowledge,” Singh said.

As the legal battle begins, a man who once worried only about earning enough to run his household now finds himself entangled in a case involving crores — a stark reminder of how the vulnerable can be exploited in a system that often looks the other way.