Police file cheating case against Gujarat journalist arrested for GST fraud

The legal troubles for jailed journalist Mahesh Langa, who is already under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate for an alleged GST fraud case, continue to mount as the police have registered a cheating case against him for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 28.68 lakh, officials said on Tuesday.
The businessman, who operates an advertising company, met Langa two years ago when the journalist presented himself as an influential media figure with extensive contacts. He offered to assist the businessman with his advertising business through his connections and positive news coverage.
On two occasions, on March 16 and June 6, 2024, Langa allegedly took Rs 23 lakh from the businessman under the pretext of helping him purchase a corporate office. Subsequently, in September, Langa requested assistance with a banquet hall booking for his wife Kavita’s birthday, which resulted in a payment of Rs 5,68,250 that Langa promised to repay — money that has yet to be returned.
When the businessman demanded repayment of the total Rs 28,68,250, he claimed Langa threatened him, warning of negative media coverage that could ruin his reputation. After learning of Langa’s arrest by the Ahmedabad crime branch in a GST fraud case, the businessman approached authorities with evidence, including bank transaction records for the Rs 23 lakh and receipts for the banquet hall payment.
On October 7, 2024, an FIR was registered against Langa and 12 affiliated companies, including a fictitious entity named Dhruvi Enterprises. Investigations have revealed shocking details, leading to the arrest of 17 individuals thus far.
Police also said that Langa used fake invoices through shell companies to defraud the government. Reports from the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) indicate that identical mobile numbers and PAN cards were used to register over 220 suspicious companies.
The crime branch has seized 29 computers, 38 mobile phones, 7 laptops, and numerous documents, all of which have been sent for forensic analysis.
Dhruvi Enterprises was allegedly registered using the credentials of Harsh Makwana, a laborer from Botad district, and engaged in fraudulent transactions totaling Rs 7.04 crore. This shell company was primarily used to create bogus invoices for falsely claiming input tax credits to evade GST payments.
To date, the crime branch has recorded 139 statements and arrested 17 suspects involved in the fraudulent setup of Dhruvi Enterprises. Langa’s connection to another firm, DA Enterprises, also came to light, with the company’s turnover reportedly skyrocketing from Rs 21 lakh in 2020-2021 to Rs 6.7 crore by 2022-2023. Evidence indicated that Langa was the operational head of DA Enterprises after his wife was made a co-owner in a bid to funnel profits.
On Sunday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations across seven locations in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Surat, and Bhavnagar as part of an ongoing investigation into a money laundering case involving a company ‘controlled’ by Langa and seized unaccounted cash and incriminating documents.
According to the federal probe agency, journalist Langa was “controlling” Dhruvi Enterprises from whose premises “a large quantum of unaccounted cash” was seized by the police.
It is further gathered that various other benami transactions are suspected to have happened with shell companies.
Langa works for a newspaper as an investigative journalist.
Several media organisations, including the Editors Guild of India, the Press Club of India, the Press Association, the Indian Women’s Press Corps, the Delhi Union of Journalists, and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists, condemned the second FIR filed against Mahesh Langa for allegedly possessing confidential documents.
The groups urged authorities to drop the charges, noting that journalists routinely access sensitive documents as part of their work, and penalising them for doing so poses a “worrisome” precedent.
Even Congress denounced the actions against Langa, labeling them a “brazen assault on democratic freedoms”.