Enforcement Directorate seeks Qatar Airways’ foreign transaction info
It wasn’t clear whether the issue is linked to alleged tax evasion by Qatar Airways, in which DGGI last month conducted searches at offices of foreign carriers
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked Qatar Airways for documents related to its foreign transactions being investigated by the agency, people familiar with the matter said
ED has sought information under the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act (AFP FILE)
ED has sought information from the airline under the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act, they added. A senior ED official confirmed the request on condition of anonymity but added the probe was at a “very initial stage”.
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Qatar Airways didn’t respond to HT’s request for comment but airline officials who asked not to be named confirmed ED has asked it for information. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the issue is linked to alleged tax evasion by Qatar Airways, in which the director general of GST intelligence (DGGI) last month conducted searches at the offices of foreign carriers including Qatar Airways.
The searches were in connection with alleged tax evasion by airlines in the import of services from their head offices to Indian branches. The GST regulations state that a foreign airline’s head office and its Indian branch are treated as separate entities.
A statement issued by the finance ministry on October 18 stated that DGGI has detected GST evasion of ₹57,000 crore from April 2020 to September 2023 involving over 6,000 fake instances of input tax credit claims leading to the arrest of 500 people.
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The development comes weeks after a Qatari court sentenced to death eight former Indian Navy personnel, who were detained on undeclared charges in August 2022.
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The development comes weeks after a Qatari court sentenced to death eight former Indian Navy personnel, who were detained on undeclared charges in August 2022.
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.
Neha LM Tripathi is a Special Correspondent with the National Political Bureau of Hindustan Times. She covers the aviation and railways ministries, and also writes on travel trends. Her work spans national developments, with a focus on policy, people, and the evolving travel landscape. She has 13 years of experience. Before moving to Delhi, she was based in Mumbai, where she began her journey as a journalist. Outside the newsroom, Neha enjoys trekking and travelling.
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