Ahmedabad: In a new development, jailed journalist Mahesh Langa has been booked in another case for allegedly extorting Rs 40 lakh from a real estate agent. Langa reportedly threatened to damage the agent’s reputation and frame him in a false case.

Langa, who is currently in jail with four previous cases lodged against him in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Rajkot, now faces an additional FIR under Section 308 of the BNS for extortion. The FIR was lodged on January 23 by the Satellite police station in Ahmedabad.

The complaint, filed by Janak Thakor, a real estate agent and social worker, alleges that Thakor first met Langa in 2020 through another property agent. During their first meeting at a coffee shop in Bodakdev, Langa reportedly claimed to be not only a journalist but also a real estate agent with connections to influential officials and politicians, using his influence to resolve property disputes for a high commission. Langa allegedly proposed that Thakor bring such cases to him, promising both high commissions and assistance in becoming a reputed builder and launching an IPO.

Believing Langa’s promises, Thakor gave him a total of Rs 20 lakh, hoping for property-related work in return. In January 2024, Langa published an article in The Hindu about the real estate market in GIFT City, calling Thakor a “reputed social worker.” Langa later demanded another Rs 20 lakh to continue portraying Thakor positively in future articles. When Thakor refused, Langa allegedly began threatening to ruin his reputation with a damaging article and falsely implicate him in a case. According to the FIR, Thakor suffered losses in property deals due to Langa’s interference. To stop the harassment, Thakor eventually paid the demanded Rs 20 lakh in July 2024. However, Langa reportedly continued to demand more money, prompting Thakor to file a police complaint.

This marks the fifth FIR against Langa, who had been working as an Assistant Editor for The Hindu newspaper in Gujarat, following his arrest by Ahmedabad’s crime branch in October last year for involvement in a Goods and Services Tax (GST) scam. DeshGujarat