Gujarat: Journalist Mahesh Langa arrested in GST fraud case, Rs 20 lakh seized

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Tuesday arrested senior journalist Mahesh Langa in an alleged GST-related fraud case. Sources said Rs 20 lakh cash, some gold jewellery and land papers were recovered from Langa’s house.
The arrest came after the crime branch raided 14 places in Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda and Bhavnagar following a complaint by the Central GST department.
The crime branch said it received information that over 200 fake companies were allegedly involved in fraud through fake input tax credits. The firms reportedly used forged identities and documents to facilitate the evasion of duties.
The Central GST found forged documents in the name of Mahesh Langa’s wife and father that were used for suspicious transactions in those fake firms.
“Initial findings suggest a large-scale conspiracy aimed at defrauding the government of significant revenue, potentially amounting to crores of rupees, through fake billing, fraudulent documentation, and misrepresentation,” the crime branch said in a statement.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ajit Rajian said the senior journalist, who is employed by ‘The Hindu’ newspaper, was arrested after detailed questioning.
The crime branch has also registered an FIR against several persons and entities, including Dhruvi Enterprise, Om Construction, Raj Infra, Haresh Construction Company and DA Enterprise in connection with the case.