Ahmadabad: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has launched a major operation against GST evasion, arresting 33 individuals linked to 12 bogus firms following raids conducted at 14 locations across Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Kheda, and Bhavnagar. The operation, based on intelligence from the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI), uncovered a ₹200 crore scam involving fake input tax credits and fraudulent invoices.

Among those arrested is Mahesh Langa, a left-leaning journalist for The Hindu. Langa is being interrogated for his alleged involvement in the scam, which saw the registration of fake firms to fraudulently obtain tax credits. His arrest has raised eyebrows, as just a day earlier, Langa had publicly criticized the GST system, tweeting about the difficulties of registration and sarcastically commenting on India's "Ease of doing business."

The investigation began after Himanshu Joshi, Zonal Director of DGGI, filed a complaint with the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, accusing a bogus company, Dhruvi Enterprise, of creating over 200 fake firms nationwide to generate fraudulent invoices worth billions. A fake lease agreement was allegedly submitted online to the Ahmedabad GST department to obtain a GST number, which was then used to orchestrate a large-scale criminal conspiracy.

Authorities believe the scam, which took place between February 2023 and May 2024, may be even larger, as the total fraudulent billing in Gujarat is now believed to exceed ₹50,000 crore. The case involves charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using forged documents as genuine), 474 (possession of forged documents), and 120 (BNS), all related to the conspiracy.

The FIR lists several companies and individuals as co-accused, and investigations are ongoing to trace the full extent of the fraud. Central GST, EOW, SOG, and various other agencies are involved in the probe, with further arrests and revelations expected as the investigation progresses.

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