Indian investigators from the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on Operation Mobilization based in southern Telangana state. The related entities of the Christian charity are engaged in publishing and distribution of books. (Photo: Facebook)
A federal probe agency has raided a Christian charity in a southern Indian state for alleged violations of a law against money laundering.
The federal government's Enforcement Directorate (ED), which was mandated to investigate money laundering and foreign exchange violations, conducted raids at 11 places of Operation Mobilization (OM) based in Hyderabad, the capital of the Telangana state.
An official release from the probe agency on June 25 said the raids were carried out on June 21 and 22. The agency claimed to have seized “incriminating documents, digital devices, records of clandestine transactions and benami [proxy] companies.”
The release claimed to have unearthed “several properties of key functionaries of the OM group of charities, suspected to be acquired out of proceeds of crime.”
No arrests have been made, but the agency said that “further investigation is in progress.”
The federal agency stepped in after receiving leads from state police, which probed into funds allegedly raised by the Christian charity, totaling 3 billion Indian rupees (about US$37 million).
According to the probe agency, the money was pooled from foreign countries such as the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Argentina, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Malaysia, Norway, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The state police report said the funds were diverted for asset creation and other unauthorized purposes. The charity also used substantial amounts as fixed deposits and for funding other entities of the organization, primarily engaged in the publishing and distribution of books.
The charity was also accused of not maintaining proper records of funds it received from the government under the Right to Education Act, which is meant to provide free education to children. Instead of offering sponsorship to students, it collected tuition and other fees.
The ED said the vast sums of foreign money were collected to provide free education and meals to children of Dalits, or formerly untouchables, studying in more than 100 Good Shepherd Schools run by the charity, mainly in India’s southern states.
The federal agency said a preliminary investigation revealed “several suspicious transactions indicating diversion of the funds” and “multiple immovable properties of the key office bearers of the group” in Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra.
“The office bearers of Operation Mobilization group were employed as consultants with shell entities incorporated in Goa and were receiving salaries,” the federal agency said.
UCA News tried contacting the charity's office bearers for their comments, but they were unreachable.
A Catholic priest expressed surprise at the allegations being leveled against the charity helping the Dalits and other socially poor people.
“We will get to know the truth only after the federal agency completes its probe, the findings of which could be opposite of the primary findings,” the priest, who did not want to be named, told UCA News.
Christian leaders say Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, run by the pro-Hindu party, targets Christian charities that mainly work among marginalized people.
Media reports say that since Modi came to power in 2014, the government has canceled the licenses of more than 16,000 non-governmental agencies, including Christian charities, preventing them from receiving overseas funding.
Christians make up 2.3 percent of India’s 1.4 billion people, about 80 percent of whom are Hindus.
