Bhubaneswar: A prominent gold merchant at Jeypore in Odisha’s Koraput district died under mysterious circumstances on Friday, three days after GST officials raided his shop during Dhanteras.
Locals said the death of jewellery shop owner, identified as P Hari Prasad, has shocked the business community. He reportedly fell ill during the CT-GST raids on his shop on Dhanteras on October 29. He was admitted to the hospital and passed away on Friday morning following heart attack.
Family members and friends alleged that mental harassment by the GST officials, holding them responsible for his untimely demise. They wonder why only his shop was raided by the GST officials on the day of Dhanteras. It has been reported that his shop used to draw huge crowd during the festive season.
The Jeypore Chamber of Commerce has called for a dawn-to-dusk bandh on Saturday alleging selective crackdown by CT-GST officials, leading to his death due to stress.
