Discreet probe by ED into Ramdev's offshore assets

The ED is probing whether Ramdev's investments and transactions were carried out flouting foreign exchange laws, sources in the directorate said. On the scanner of the agency is an island in Scotland which was gifted to Ramdev by a couple who is among his ardent followers.

The Little Cumbrae Island, off the fishing town of Largs in Scotland, serves as Ramdev's base overseas and also as a wellness centre.

The probe, according to the sources, is aimed at checking the flow of money and transactions through various trusts floated by Ramdev including the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, Divya Yoga Mandir Trust and Bharat Swabhiman Trust.

The directorate, after completing the probe, may decide to formally register a case under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act or the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act, if findings show anything unlawful, they said.

The discreet probe, also called 'source' probe by investigators, is done on the basis of available documents and intelligence information from various official databases.

In a related development, the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday registered a preliminary enquiry against Balakrishna, a close aide of Ramdev, for allegedly using forged documents to acquire passport.