Mahesh Langa, a senior journalist with The Hindu, has been arrested by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch in connection with an alleged Goods and Services Tax (GST) scam. The arrest was made on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, following a series of raids and investigations at multiple locations across Gujarat.
The case against Langa and several other entities was initiated after a complaint from the Central Goods and Services Tax (GST) department. The complaint alleged that several bogus firms had been floated to defraud the government by availing bogus input tax credit through fraudulent transactions.
According to officials, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, along with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Special Operations Group (SOG), conducted raids at 14 locations across Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda, and Bhavnagar. The investigation revealed that a network of nearly 200 bogus firms were working across the country to defraud the government exchequer.
The FIR registered in the case names several entities, including Dhruvi Enterprise, Om Construction, Raj Infra, Haresh Construction Company, and DA Enterprise. It is alleged that these firms were involved in creating fake bills and diverting funds using forged documents and identities.
Mahesh Langa's wife was named as the promoter of one of the bogus firms suspected of creating fake bills. However, she denied any involvement and claimed that her husband managed everything. During the search of their residence, unaccounted cash worth Rs 20 lakh and some land records were found.
The police have claimed that there is a large group working towards a criminal conspiracy to cause financial loss to the nation by using fake billing, forged documents, and malafide misrepresentation of facts/documents. The total financial loss is estimated to be in crores of rupees.
The investigation began after the Ahmedabad zonal unit of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) uncovered a major bogus billing scam involving Dhruvi Enterprise. The firm had fraudulently obtained GST registration using a forged rent agreement in March 2023, which was later cancelled suo motu by the tax department.
DGGI officials analyzed data linked to Dhruvi Enterprise and found that it was involved in issuing fake invoices without any actual supply of goods. This modus operandi is commonly employed by fraudsters to illegally transfer Input Tax Credit (ITC) to and claim ITC from several entities.
The probe revealed that multiple firms across India were using the same PAN for the registration of Dhruvi Enterprise. The accumulated ITC was then passed on to 12 active firms, further complicating the scam.
Mahesh Langa's brother, Manojkumar Rambhai Langa, is also linked to one of the firms accused in the scam, DA Enterprises. However, he has not been arrested yet.
The case has sparked widespread attention and raised questions about the involvement of journalists in financial crimes. The Hindu, where Langa works, has not commented on the matter yet.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch continues to investigate the case, and further arrests are expected as more evidence comes to light.
