ED probe into Ramdev`s offshore assets, investment

The ED has begun a discreet probe into the offshore assets and investments made by yoga guru Ramdev and institutions affiliated to him.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has
begun a discreet probe into the offshore assets and
investments made by yoga guru Ramdev and institutions
affiliated to him.

The ED is probing whether Ramdev`s investments and
transactions were carried out flouting foreign exchange laws,
sources in the Directorate said.

On the scanner of the agency is an island in Scotland
which was gifted to Ramdev by a couple who is among his ardent
followers.

The Little Cumbrae Island, off the fishing town of Largs
in Scotland, serves as Ramdev`s base overseas and also as a
wellness centre.

The probe, according to the sources, is aimed at checking
the flow of money and transactions through various trusts
floated by Ramdev including the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust,
Divya Yoga Mandir Trust and Bharat Swabhiman Trust.

The Directorate, after completing the probe, may decide to
formally register a case under the provisions of the Foreign
Exchange Management Act (FEMA) or the stringent Prevention of
Money Laundering Act (PMLA), if findings show anything
unlawful, they said.

The discreet probe, also called `source` probe by
investigators, is done on the basis of available documents and
intelligence information from various official databases.

In a related development, the CBI today registered a
preliminary enquiry (PE) against Balakrishna, a close aide of
Ramdev, for allegedly using forged documents to acquire
passport.

PTI

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