Ahmedabad – Mahesh Langa, a senior assistant editor at The Hindu, was arrested on Tuesday by the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) in connection with an alleged GST (Goods and Services Tax) fraud case. The arrest follows a complaint filed by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), which revealed that 13 firms and their proprietors were involved in an input tax credit (ITC) scam. Langa’s cousin, Manojkumar Langa, is named as a proprietor of DA Enterprise, a company where Mahesh Langa’s wife is also listed as a partner.
Journalist Arrested in GST Fraud
Police have stated that the GST fraud led to a significant loss to the government as the accused took advantage of and passed on fake ITC using fabricated bills. The investigation alleges that over 220 benami (fictitious) firms were created using false documents. Although Langa is not directly named in the First Information Report (FIR), police claim that his involvement was uncovered during the probe.
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According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajit Rajian, the crime branch recovered Rs 20 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold, and several land-related documents from Mahesh Langa. Despite his wife’s position as a partner in the implicated firm, she stated that she was unaware of her association. Police believe that Mahesh Langa was controlling the firm’s activities.
The case also implicates several political figures. Talala BJP MLA Bhagwan Barad’s son Ajay, and his nephews Vijaykumar and Ramesh Kalabhai Barad, are listed as proprietors of Veraval-based Aryan Associates, another firm involved in the scam. However, MLA Barad has denied these allegations, claiming that Aryan Associates conducted legitimate business transactions and was unknowingly involved with a fraudulent company.
Suresh Nambath, Editor of The Hindu, addressed the arrest on the social media platform Bluesky, stating that the publication is unaware of the specific details but believes this incident is unrelated to Langa’s journalistic work. Nambath expressed confidence in Langa’s professionalism and called for a fair and swift investigation.
The GST fraud reportedly took place between February and May last year. The main accused, identified as Dhruvi Enterprise, allegedly used a single PAN (Permanent Account Number) to create six different firms. These firms were then used to avail ITC on transactions that never occurred. Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Sharad Singhal stated that on the basis of DGGI’s complaint, the accused firms fraudulently obtained and shared the bogus ITC through this elaborate scheme.
