New Delhi:
It seems the government has decided to take on Baba Ramdev after a fortnight full of drama. While the Enforcement Directorate has begun a discreet probe into the offshore assets and investments made by the yoga guru and institutions affiliated to him, a CBI team is all set to visit Haridwar to track his former employees and take out information.
The ED is probing whether Ramdev's investments and transactions were carried out flouting foreign exchange laws. On the scanner of the agency is an island in Scotland which was gifted to Ramdev by a couple who are among his ardent followers.
The probe, according to 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 Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), if findings show anything unlawful, they said.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the CBI on Sunday registered a preliminary inquiry (PE) against Balakrishna, a close aide of Ramdev, for allegedly using forged documents to acquire passport. In a bid to find evidence of any 'wrong-doings' in the yoga guru-cum-anti-corruption crusader Baba Ramdev's estimated Rs 1,100 crore, a team of CBI officials are making inquiries.
The agency had learnt that last year around 40 employees were sacked by Ramdev's companies located in Haridwar. However, this is not the first time when Ramdev's companies and factories had faced problems with respect to workers. In 2006, around 400 workers were thrown out from Ramdev 's Divya Yoga Pharmacy. This had caused huge ruckus as the Left Front parties took up the cudgels on their behalf. The agency feels that the statements of these employees will give vital 'inputs' in gaining 'inside' knowledge of Ramdev's business empire.