Enforcement Directorate hunts details of Ramdev’s island

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached British authorities to seek information regarding an island owned by yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s trust.

Ramdev’s trust Patanjali Yoga Peeth Trust owns an island in Scotland, which the baba claims was “donated’’ by a follower.

The ED along with the income-tax department is scrutinising Ramdev’s business empire that commands 30 companies acquired in the last five years.

“We have approached the British authorities through the ministry of external affairs for financial details of the island’s original owners who “gifted” it to Ramdev’s trust in 2009. We have learnt that an NRI couple, who owned the island, also holds stakes in Patanjali Trust. We are only conducting inquiries under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, ‘’a senior finance ministry official told DNA. However, a formal case is yet to be registered against the yoga guru.

According to ministry officials, Sarwan Poddar and his wife Sunita, residents of Scotland, bought Little Cumbrae, an island of about 900 acres for two million pounds and gifted it to Ramdev in 2009.

The uninhabited island was donated for a yoga and ayurveda retreat centre. However, the couple defended the transfer claiming that the transfer was according to UK’s land transfer regulations.
The trust also owns a channel Aastha TV.