Trouble Mounts For Journalist Mahesh Langa As Ahmedabad Police Files FIR Alleging Fraud

Trouble seems to be mounting for Gujarat-based journalist Mahesh Langa who was arrested in a GST fraud case earlier this month. Langa, who has also been booked in a case of unauthorised possession of official document, has now been named in a third FIR or first information report related to an alleged Rs 28-lakh fraud.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has launched a probe as well.

The latest FIR against Langa, registered by the Ahmedabad police, is based on a complaint filed by Pranav Shah, director of a company named Khushi Enterprises.

The complainant claimed that he had transferred Rs 23 lakh to Langa for "some advertisement work", and also paid Rs 5 lakh for a "lavish party" which Langa had thrown, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik said in a press briefing.

Shah has alleged that Langa neither completed the work for which he was paid the money, nor has he returned the amount to him, the top police official said.

"There is a money trail," Malik said, noting that the amount has been electronically transferred. The police commissioner added that an inquiry will be conducted into the allegations.

Langa, a senior assistant editor at The Hindu, is lodged behind the bars since earlier this month after he was booked in an alleged goods and services tax scam case. The case was registered on Oct. 7 by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch based on the complaint received by the central GST.

This was followed by a second FIR registered in Gandhinagar against Langa on Oct. 23 following the alleged recovery of some documents of the Gujarat Maritime Board from him. District Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty told PTI that online FIR is not accessible to the public as it has been put under "sensitive category".

The Gujarat police has claimed that none of the documents recovered from Langa were used by him for professional purposes.

The GST fraud case, which was registered based on the complaint sent by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence to Gujarat Police, is centred around a "shell" company named Dhruvi Enterprises, the investigators said.

Among the firms that dealt with Dhruvi Enterprises is DA Enterprises, which is allegedly controlled by Langa, according to officials. "DA Enterprises is in the name of Mahesh Langa's wife and cousin...We questioned them and found they were unaware about it. This indicated that this firm was operated by Mahesh Langa," Malik said.

As part of the probe, there were raids conducted at 19 locations across Bhavnagar, Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad, the police commissioner said. During the search at the premise of Langa, Rs 20 lakh in cash was seized, the police commissioner added.

"Laptop and phones have also been seized. These have been sent to the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory). Once the FSL report comes out, further details will be shared," he said.

Malik further noted that the investigators have scanned the income tax records of Langa, and found that in fiscal 2023, he had shown his income as Rs 9.48 lakh and his wife's income as Rs 6 lakh. "But see his lifestyle, his stays at five-star hotels and visit to foreign countries etc.," he said.

The police statement comes a day after several media bodies, including Editors Guild of India, Press Club of India and Press Association, condemned the second FIR against Langa, which is linked to the alleged possession of sensitive documents of Gujarat Maritime Board.