The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Tuesday, February 26, arrested a senior journalist and The Hindu’s Gujarat correspondent Mahesh Langa, locked up at the Sabarmati Central Jail.

The ED charged Langa under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), alleging money laundering, linked to an alleged financial fraud.

He was produced before a special PMLA court in Ahmedabad and was sent to ED custody till February 28.

The ED, in a statement, it had initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by DCB, police station, Ahmedabad City, Maheshbhai Prabhudan Langa and others for cheating and criminal breach of trust, and found that another FIR had been filed against the veteran journalist by the Satellite police station.

The FIR accuses journalist Langa of committing fraud, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, cheating and causing wrongful loss of lakhs of rupees to the concerned persons.

The ED has alleged that Mahesh Langa was engaged in multiple fraudulent financial transactions involving extortion from various individuals, constant manipulation, and use of media influence.

The Scroll reported that at least seven cases have been filed against Mahesh Langa, including five with Gujarat police and two with ED.

The senior journalist was first arrested in an alleged GST fraud case on October 7, without him being named in the chargesheet where his cousin and wife were named.

Journalist bodies in the country, in October 2024, had raised concerns over the arrest, calling it ‘worrisome’.

“Mahesh Langa is a well-known and fearless journalist with a career of employment in many reputed publications. His reports on developments related to Gujarat have been widely appreciated,” read a joint statement by the media bodies in October.