Ahmedabad: City crime branch on Tuesday arrested five more men in the alleged multi-crore CGST (Central Goods and Services Tax) fraud, in which a journalist named Mahesh Langa is suspected to be the kingpin. Until now, 13 individuals, including Langa, have been arrested in the fraud case.
"Adil Khokhar (30), Qadar Khokhar (32), Aqil Pathan (24), Shahrukh Rangrez (30) and Sarfaraz Chauhan (40), all residents of Bhavnagar, were caught.They were employed by the accused and were hired for Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000," a senior crime branch officer said. These men allegedly helped Langa and the others accused in the scam by moving files of shell companies. A source with Gujarat Police said, "A similar complaint in the scam will be filed with Rajkot Rural Police against Langa and the other accused who floated shell companies for GST evasion."
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing Langa and other individuals under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) provisions, is likely to file another case in the CGST scam, which involves the creation of at least 220 companies for alleged tax evasion. "In light of the evidence found during the searches at 23 locations in seven districts of Gujarat, a new case will be registered against the accused," a source in the agency said. They hinted that more names may emerge during the probe as financial transactions are further analysed. These individuals will be implicated in the fresh case.
The ED recovered documents from the residential and commercial premises that were searched last week.
Langa was arrested this month after city crime branch filed a complaint against 13 firms, following a complaint from Ahmedabad Zonal Unit of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGCI), alleging a GST scam.