The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday said that its Jaipur zonal office conducted search operations on Saturday at two premises in Jaisalmer linked to a Belgium-based non-profit organisation. As per the ED, two persons allegedly received over Rs 5 crore from abroad for “proselytisation and conversion activities among vulnerable sections of society in Jaisalmer.”

The searches were conducted under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, (FEMA), 1999, in connection with the “misuse” of foreign donations of about Rs 5.10 crore, received from a Belgium-based entity without FCRA registration and used for the purposes other than those declared, ED said.

It said that it had received intelligence that Jaisalmer resident Deu Ram was illegally receiving funds for proselytisation. Further investigation revealed that Deu Ram and his associate Gyan Chand were receiving foreign funds mainly by showing the purpose as educational services, cultural and recreational activities, and inward remittances from non-resident Indians towards family maintenance and savings. Most of these funds were received from Amar ASBL, which claims to be a NGO based in Brussels, Belgium.

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Amar ASBL was set up in Brussels in 2011 and is managed by two Belgian nationals, Jose Goffinet and his son Salian Goffinet, as per the ED, which said that although the organisation works exclusively in Jaisalmer, it has not registered any trust or NGO in India. Instead, it has been operating in Jaisalmer through Deu Ram and Gyan Chand for the last 14-15 years.

On its Instagram page, the NGO states it is “a little Belgian NGO organising and financing education of 125 children in India.” As per its website, during a tourist trip to India in January 2011, two friends, Sheliel and Jack, met a camel herder — apparently in Jaisalmer — who wanted to send his 6-year-old daughter to school but couldn’t afford it. The two friends decided to cover the school fees for this little girl, Bhagwanti.

A few weeks later, after discussing it with their Belgian friends, six other children were also taken care of for their schooling. “This adventure, which came purely from a heartfelt impulse, led to the creation of the non-profit organisation AMAR in November 2011. Since then, the number of children has gradually increased to reach 125 children in 2021,” it states.

The ED said that it was found that Deu Ram received foreign donations from Amar ASBL without FCRA permission by “mis-declaring the purpose, and ultimately used these funds for his personal expenses and for influencing the cultural and religious beliefs of vulnerable section under the garb of providing educational services to their children under the influence of Belgium entity.”

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The foreign funds from Amar ASBL were allegedly reported to the bank under various purpose codes, including family maintenance and savings, educational services, cultural/recreational services, commission agent services and remuneration of employees. However, no educational, cultural or recreational services were actually rendered to Amar ASBL, ED said, adding that instead, the funds were being managed and used for the organisation’s activities in Jaisalmer.

ED said that out of Rs 5.10 crore, Ram withdrew about Rs 2.60 crore in cash and no proper books of account or financial records were maintained for the receipt and use of these foreign donations.

It said that Deu Ram and Gyan Chand have also been in regular touch with Jose Goffinet and Salian Goffinet, who visit Jaisalmer every year for 2-3 weeks, meet the parents and relatives of these children, and organise meetings and religious gatherings “to promote their cultural and religious beliefs and practices.”

The ED investigation also revealed that after the banks recently declined foreign remittances into the accounts of Deu Ram and Gyan Chand, attempts were made to route the foreign funds through the personal bank accounts of other related persons in Jaisalmer.

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During Saturday’s search operations, various “incriminating documents” and digital evidence were recovered, ED said, and that further investigation is under progress.

Last month too, the ED had conducted searches at two premises in Jaipur linked to a Jaipur-based pastor who allegedly received over Rs 2 crore from a US-based donor for proselytisation activities “among Dalit Valmiki and Tribal Bhil communities in Jaipur and southern Rajasthan.”