Journalist Mahesh Langa faces new FIR for possessing confidential documents amid ongoing GST fraud case

Gujarat Police have registered a new first information report (FIR) against The Hindu journalist Mahesh Langa, who is already in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in a Goods and Services Tax (GST) scam.

The fresh charges accuse Langa of possessing confidential documents belonging to the Gujarat Maritime Board.

Langa, based in Ahmedabad, was reportedly found in possession of these documents during his earlier arrest. The investigation, led by Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty, is currently focused on determining how Langa obtained the sensitive information. "We are trying to establish the source of the leak," Vasamsetty stated.

Langa had been taken into custody earlier in relation to an alleged GST fraud involving his cousin’s company, DA Enterprise.

According to the police, this company was part of a broader scheme, involving the creation of six firms from a single Permanent Account Number (PAN) to fraudulently claim input tax credits. Although Langa’s wife is listed as a silent partner in one of these companies, his legal counsel has argued that the journalist had no direct involvement or financial transactions tied to the alleged scam.

The GST scam case continues to unfold, with 13 individuals already arrested. This group includes Mahesh Langa, along with others implicated in the fraudulent setup of over 220 shell companies to facilitate fake input tax credit claims, costing the government a significant financial loss.

In connection with the scam, five more individuals were apprehended on Tuesday, bringing the total number of arrests to 13. The case against Langa now extends beyond the alleged tax fraud, as investigators probe the confidential maritime board documents discovered during his earlier arrest.