IT Raids Self-Styled Godman ‘Kalki Bhagwan’ Ashram In AP; ₹409 Crore Of Unaccounted Wealth Unearthed.., Bengaluru: Spiritual guru ‘Kalki Bhagwan,’ a self-styled godman who claims to be the 10th ‘avatar’ of Vishnu, had hoarded as much as Rs 93 crore in cash at his ashram and at other premises as well as an estimated Rs 409 crore of unaccounted wealth, the Income Tax department said in a press release on Friday.
The department had conducted raids in almost 40 premises at different locations primarily in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that are owned by ‘Kalki Bhagwan’ and his son Krishna. Simultaneous raids are on in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Varadaiahpalem near Chittoor on the border of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where his ashram is located.
“The group founded by (this) spiritual guru in the 1980s with ‘oneness’ philosophy has also diversified into several sectors, including real estate, construction, sports, etc., in India and abroad. (This) conglomerate of trusts and companies run year-round ‘wellness courses’ and training programmes in philosophy, spirituality, etc., at various sprawling residential campuses. The courses attract residential customers from abroad and the group earns substantial receipts in foreign exchange. There was intelligence that the group had been suppressing its receipts, which are ploughed into investment in huge tracts of landed property in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and in investments abroad,” the statement said.
The department said during the search, considerable evidence was found of the ashram regularly suppressing its donations at its various branches — that staff had been keeping cash collections outside of the account books and earned ‘black’ money from selling property over and above the documented values. Huge stashes of cash, in foreign currency, have been seized from the ashram, apart from the Rs 43 crore in rupees.
