Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested senior journalist Mahesh Langa on Tuesday in connection with the GST scam. The team seized Rs 20 lakh in cash, gold jewelry, and land papers from his residence.
The Central GST department initially reported the fraud, prompting the crime branch to conduct raids at 14 locations across Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda, and Bhavnagar. Following these operations, they arrested Langa.
Investigators revealed that around 200 fake companies participated in the scam by providing fraudulent input tax credits, enabling these companies to evade tariffs through fake identities and documents. A Central GST investigation uncovered that Mahesh Langa had prepared counterfeit documents in the names of his wife and father, facilitating transactions for these bogus companies.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ajit Rajian confirmed that they arrested Mahesh Langa, a senior journalist at The Hindu, for detailed questioning about the case. The crime branch has also filed an FIR against several individuals and companies involved in the fraud.