ED arrests journalist Mahesh Langa from Ahmedabad jail in money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested journalist Mahesh Langa under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust.

Langa was produced before a court in Ahmedabad, which remanded him to the agency’s custody till February 28.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested the journalist from the city’s Sabarmati Central Jail, where he was in custody in connection with other cases.

Seven cases have been filed against Langa, a journalist with The Hindu in Ahmedabad. These include five FIRs by the Gujarat Police and two cases by the Enforcement Directorate.

The central agency filed its latest case against Langa based on a first information report filed by the Detection of Crime Branch Police Station in October, in which the journalist was accused of having cheated a businessman of Rs 28.68 lakh, The Indian Express reported.

The Enforcement Directorate said that during its investigation, it found that another first information report had been filed against Langa by the Satellite police station in Ahmedabad for allegedly committing fraud and causing wrongful losses. This case was based on allegations that he extorted Rs 40 lakh from a land broker.

Langa was first arrested by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch on October 7 in an alleged Goods and Services Tax-related fraud. The police alleged that a company named Dhruvi...

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