Nandurbar Trust helped Yemeni couple overstay in India, got Aadhaar, PAN for them: ED

New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) A Maharashtra-based Trust, under scanner of the MHA for alleged FCRA violation, and its trustees "aided" a Yemeni couple to overstay in India after the expiry of their visas and also got them Aadhaar, PAN and birth certificates, the ED said on Wednesday.

The federal probe agency conducted multiple searches on December 1 after registering a money laundering case against Nandurbar-based Jamia Ismalia Ishatul Uloom (JIIU) Trust and some others. The raids were undertaken in the northwestern district of the state, apart from Mumbai and Barmer in Rajasthan.

In July last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the registration of the trust under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), finding that it was "involved" in channelling foreign contribution funds to some other non-FCRA-registered NGO.

About a dozen premises linked to the trust, Yemeni national Al-Khadami Khaled Ibrahim Saleh, and others were searched, the probe agency said in a statement.

The money laundering case stems from a February FIR filed by the Nandurbar police (Akkalkuwa Police Station) and a subsequent chargesheet filed by it against a number of entities in April this year.

The accused included JIIU founder late Ghulam Mohammad Randhera Vastanvi, Saleh, and his wife Khadega Ibrahim Kasim Al-Nasheri, and a few others.

The ED said the Yemeni nationals were allegedly aided by the accused in illegally overstaying in India after the "expiry" of their visas.

"The co-accused also provided shelter and facilitated fraudulent procurement of Aadhaar, PAN (permanent account number), birth certificates and opening of bank accounts.

"JIIU allegedly appointed Al-Khadhami as a madrasa teacher to falsely portray foreign staffing to donors, in order to attract higher overseas funding," the agency said.

ED's preliminary investigation has found that JIIU received Rs 406 crore in foreign donations (between 2014-15 to 2023-24) from Kuwait, Botswana, UK, Mauritius, Switzerland, Seychelles, Panama etc … and it also received and used "substantial" amounts in cash.

Early findings indicate that donation funds were diverted for non-approved uses, in violation of statutory norms, according to the agency.

Seized evidence indicate "misuse" of the tag of 'national research incentives for organisational self-funding' as the trust received donations from other bodies and NGOs, it said.

The agency seized Rs 9 lakh in cash apart from digital devices during the raids. PTI NES VN VN