Nationwide Tax Scam: Journalist Among Eight Arrested in GST Fraud

The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches in multiple Gujarat cities in a money laundering case linked to a GST fraud. Eight people, including journalist Mahesh Langa, were arrested. The case involves shell firms defrauding the government through bogus tax credits and fraudulent transactions, first reported by the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch.

The Enforcement Directorate, in a sweeping operation spanning several cities in Gujarat, targeted premises linked to a GST fraud case, culminating in the arrest of eight individuals, including a journalist, Mahesh Langa. This crackdown follows a meticulous probe by the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch, shining a light on pervasive tax evasion tactics.

Raids were conducted at 23 locations across key cities like Rajkot, Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, and Veraval. The operation was prompted by findings from the Crime Branch, which had registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Esteemed journalist Langa, who writes for The Hindu, found his premises under scrutiny during these actions.

The genesis of this case is an FIR lodged by the city Crime Branch, based on a complaint from the Central GST. It highlighted a scam leveraging shell companies for bogus input tax credits. Further probes revealed these firms, linked to Langa and others, were established using forged documents, facilitating the evasion of countless government tax dues.

(With inputs from agencies.)