Jharkhand MGNREGA Labourer Briefly Arrested for not Paying Rs 3.5 crore as GST

A labourer, who earned Rs 198 a day for works he did under the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), in Ghatshila subdivision near Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, was briefly arrested for not paying Rs 3.5 crore as Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The police went to Raipahadi village in Musabani block and arrested the labourer, Ladum Murmu (48), when the tax was not paid within the timeframe stipulated in the notice. But after a protest by villagers, and considering his poor financial condition, the police released him.

A probe revealed that Ladum Murmu’s Aadhaar card, PAN card, and bank passbook were fraudulently used by a steel company that exploited the documents to further its business. Tax authorities, without any physical verification, allotted a GST number that led to the notice and the brief arrest, sources said.

The victim said that he had handed over his documents to his nephew in 2018 on the promise that the government would deposit Rs 2,000 every month in his account.

Ladum said he did not receive any funds in his account but was served a notice to pay Rs 3.5 crore as GST. Later, a case was lodged against him that led to his brief arrest. His wife died some time back and he lives with his two sons. The police said the real culprits would be arrested soon.