Nellore: Income-Tax officials from Tamil Nadu have been conducting simultaneous raids on Kalki Bhagwan ashrams in AP, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu including at the main ashram located at Battalavallam in Varadayyapalem of Chittoor district on Wednesday.
According to sources in the ashram, the I-T teams came in 20 vehicles to Varadayyapalem around 6.30 am and divided into groups to carry out raids on various parts of the ashram, including Ekam, GC-2, Govardhnapuram and offices at campuses 1,2,3 and 4 besides Nemam in Tamil Nadu simultaneously. They have seized several documents and examined the foreign donations to the ashram.
The I-T teams have been questioning the CEO of the ashram, Lokesh Dasaji, at Battalavallam in Varadayyapalem mandal. It was learnt that the teams seized the mobile phones of all those working inside.
The I-T teams also conducted raids on the offices and houses of Krishna Dasaji, founder of Ekam Spitual Centre at Kalki Ashram in Chennai and Film Nagar in Hyderabad. The Trust representatives maintained that the checks are routine. Locals believe that the raids are being conducted because of complaints to the I-T wing over irregularities in using the funds donated by foreign devotees.
The raids shocked large number of followers of Kalki in AP and Tamil Nadu.
