Ahmedabad police arrest journalist in GST 'scam'

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) on Tuesday arrested journalist Mahesh Langa and three others in an alleged GST scam. Police said that the action was based on a written complaint filed by Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI), Ahmedabad zonal unit.

"We have arrested Mahesh Langa at around 10:30 am today on charges of cheating, forgery, among others," Assistant Commissioner of Police, DCB, Bharat Patel told DH. The arrest of Langa comes a day after a police team raided his residence and allegedly recovered "unaccounted" Rs 20 lakh in cash and gold items.

DCB sources said that based on a complaint filed by the DGGI , a search operation was carried out at 14 locations across the state including Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda and Bhavnagar. The DCB on Monday had said in an statement, "It appears that prima facie, there is involvement of over 200 fraudulently created firms/entities working across the country in an organised manner to defraud the government exchequer by availing and passing of bogus Input Tax Credit (ITC)."

The statement further added that these firms used forged identities and documents to create such firms for evading duties. The FIR mentions names of entities involved in the alleged scam including Dhruvi Enterprise, Om Construction, Raj Infra, Haresh Construction and DA Enterprises.

Police said that Langa was allegedly associated with DA Enterprises, registered in the name of his family members. DA Enterprises is said to be involved in construction business. "The family members who are officially involved with the firm have named Langa as the brain behind its functioning as he used to take all decisions. Besides, we have evidence of a money trail based on which we arrested him," officials said.

Dhruvi Enterprise, which showed its address as based in Rajkot, allegedly obtained GST registration on the basis of forged documents. The firm is allegedly indulged in receipt and transfer of bogus ITC of GST to "unscrupulous recipients" by issuance of fake invoices without the supply of underlying goods. DGGI probe revealed that Dhruvi Enterprises existed only on paper whose registration was cancelled on September 4.

DGGI's written complaint with the DCP reveals the names of 12 recipient firms of Dhruvi Enterprise where the name of DA Enterprise listed in the name of Langa Manojkumar Rambhai/Vinubhai Natubhai Patel figures. DGGI analysis of returns filed by Dhruvi Enterprise also reveals that the firm passed ITC to DA Enterprise along with 11 other firms.

Later in the evening, DCB stated in a release a list of four persons including Aijaz Maldar, 30, a resident of Bhavnagar, Abdul Kadir, 33, a resident of Bhavnagar, Mahesh Langa, 44, a resident of Bodakdev in Ahmedabad and Jyotishi Gondaliya, 42, a resident of Amreli, who have been arrested in the case. They will be produced in the court on Wednesday. Sources said that many suspects are being questioned.