Top cop questions journalist Langa

TAX CREDIT FRAUD CASE

- Abhishek Pandey

The recent arrest of The Hindu's assistant editor Mahesh Langa by the Crime Branch Ahmedabad has taken an unexpected turn, with Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Gyanendra Singh Malik personally interrogating him—a rare occurrence. Langa's alleged involvement in a multi-crore input tax credit fraud has sparked widespread discussions, particularly around potential connections with high-ranking bureaucrats and senior police officers.

Langa was arrested last week on charges of orchestrating a Rs.3.5 crore input tax credit fraud through a network of around 220 shell networks, as per an investigation by the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI). This network was reportedly involved in generating fake bills to commit financial fraud, leading DGGI to file an FIR with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch. Langa was arrested, despite not being initially mentioned in the DGGI report.