ED files chargesheet against Gujarat-based reporter in money laundering case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has filed a chargesheet against a Gujarat-based journalist under the anti-money laundering law.

The prosecution complaint against Mahesh Langa, a correspondent of 'The Hindu' newspaper in Gujarat, was filed on April 17 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Ahmedabad. The court took its cognisance on the same day, the federal probe agency said in a statement.

The money laundering case against Langa stems from FIRs filed by the Gujarat Police on charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust and extortion.

He was arrested by the ED in February and is currently lodged in jail under judicial custody.

The ED said Langa "was involved in cheating and extortion of money by leveraging his alleged connections in the media." "He threatened to tarnish the complainants' reputation by publishing defamatory news articles unless they paid him large sums of money. This form of media manipulation was found central to his extortion activities, which caused an undue loss to the tune of lakhs of rupees to various individuals," the agency claimed.

Langa's lawyer had earlier denied the charges made against him.

An office premises located in Ahmedabad was attached by the ED in April as part of this investigation.