Third FIR filed against Gujarat journalist Mahesh Langa

A fresh FIR – the third one – has been filed against Gujarat-based journalist Mahesh Langa for allegedly cheating a businessman for over ₹28 lakh.

"We have now registered an FIR of cheating against Langa for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 28.68 lakh. When the complainant sought his money back, Langa allegedly warned him, saying he 'can damage his business through negative media coverage citing his political influence and media connections'," said Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik.

As per the case details, the complainant is engaged in the business of advertising and he came in contact with the journalist nearly two years ago, said the police commissioner at a press conference.

Unaccounted cash recovered from residence

"Langa portrayed himself as an influential figure with extensive media and government contacts. Langa offered to assist the complainant with his advertising business through his connections and positive news coverage. He then borrowed Rs 23 lakh from the businessman in June and promised to repay him in cash," informed Malik.

Also read: 'Benami firms, bogus ITC, fake bills': What we know about Mahesh Langa case till now

The accused scribe then allegedly made the businessman pay a bill of Rs 5.68 lakh for a birthday party organised for his wife Kavita, said the police officer. Langa had promised to reimburse this amount on the day of the event, which was in September, he said.

"When the businessman requested Langa to return the money, he resorted to intimidation and warned of consequences citing his connections. On learning about the recent developments (referring to FIRs filed against the journalist), the businessman decided to approach us and lodge a complaint against Langa," said Malik.

Malik noted that though Langa and his wife's annual income was only Rs 15 lakh, as per the income tax returns of 2022-23, he used to live a lavish life and the crime branch recovered unaccounted cash of Rs 20 lakh from his residence during a raid.

The police commissioner said Langa's wife and cousin Manoj were partners in a dubious firm which was being operated by the senior journalist. The firm, 'DA Enterprises', had posted turnover of Rs 6.7 crore in 2022-23.

Fresh searches in money laundering case

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Tuesday claimed the journalist, earlier working for The Hindu, was "controlling" an accused company from where unaccounted cash was seized by the state police recently as part of an investigation into a GST "fraud" case.

The federal probe agency said it undertook fresh searches on Sunday in this money laundering case and raided seven premises in Ahmedabad, Surat and Bhavnagar and seized "incriminating" documents.

Langa is currently lodged in Sabarmati jail.

Also read: Editors Guild seeks details of ‘inaccessible’ second FIR against Langa

According to the ED, journalist Mahesh Langa was "controlling" DA 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, it alleged.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch that was registered on receipt of a complaint from the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) against "creation of more than 200 shell entities by a group of organised criminals in order to fraudulently receive and pass-on the Input Tax Credit (ITC) at the strength of bogus invoices, without supply of any goods or services".

The main accused company in this case is Dhruvi Enterprises.

"Dhruvi Enterprises was created by certain individuals based on fake documents and obtained GST registration. Later, this entity has raised invoices in the name of 12 different entities including DA Enterprises, who availed fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) from the GST department," the ED claimed.

The agency said enquiries were made from statutory authorities and various statements were recorded by it under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) which "could not establish the genuineness of these transactions." Langa works for The Hindu newspaper as its Gujarat correspondent.

Also read: 'The Hindu' urges Gujarat police to drop fresh charges against Mahesh Langa

Neither director nor promoter: Langa's lawyer

His counsel Vedanta Rajguru was earlier quoted by The Hindu saying that the journalist is neither a director nor promoter of DA Enterprises, which has also been named in the police First Information Report (FIR).

In the remand application for Langa and others, police had said he was running DA Enterprise in the names of his relative and wife.

The company in question is owned by Manoj Langa, a relative of Mahesh Langa, and the latter's wife is a silent partner with no rights to undertake any transaction or access bank accounts, the newspaper had quoted his lawyer as saying.

"The police case hinges on a statement made by Manoj Langa that he carried out the transactions on the instructions of Mahesh Langa. There is no transaction, signature in Mahesh's name," the lawyer had said.

Also read: Gujarat cops slap fresh case against Mahesh Langa, this time for theft

Media bodies condemn second FIR

On Monday, media bodies like the Editors Guild of India, Press Club of India, Press Association, Indian Women's Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists and Kerala Union of Working Journalists condemned the registration of a second FIR against Langa for alleged possession of confidential documents and called for the withdrawal of charges.

They had said that journalists are often required to access sensitive documents in the course of their work, and initiating punitive action against them for doing their work is "worrisome".

The Congress party had termed the action against Langa as a "brazen assault on democratic freedoms".

The ED had filed a money laundering case into this alleged GST fraud case and conducted the first round of searches on October 17 at various locations of Gujarat including at the premises of Langa.

(With inputs from agencies)