New Delhi, Jul 5: The Enforcement Directorate has asked various agencies to obtain documents related to companies and several trusts affiliated to Yoga guru Ramdev as part of its discreet probe into his offshore assets and investments.
The ED is verifying the holding patterns and other details of the companies through the Registrar of Companies (RoC) and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, official sources said.
The agency is probing whether Ramdev's investments and transactions were carried out in conformity with guidelines laid down by the RBI and other regulatory bodies, they said.
The ED is also probing Ramdev's island in Scotland which was gifted to him by a couple, who are amongst his 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 discreet 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.
The CBI has also 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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