88 Kg Gold, Forex Among Rs 500 Crore Worth Assets Recovered In I-T Raids On Self-Styled Godman Kalki Bhagavan

Income Tax Department has found undisclosed income worth Rs 500 crore and links to investments in tax havens by self-styled godman Kalki Bhagwan, his family, and trusts run by them during a massive search operation covering 40 premises across various states.

Searches were conducted in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Varadaiahpalem in entities linked to the self-styled Godman.

So far they have recovered Rs.43.90 crore of unaccounted cash in Indian currency, 2.5 million dollars, 88 kg of jewelry worth Rs 26 crore; and 1271 carats of diamonds valued at Rs 5 crore from him. They also stumbled upon unaccounted cash receipts, some of which date back to 2014-15, said to be worth about Rs 409 crore.

The simultaneous raids involving more than 300 I-T Department officials were conducted based on a specific input that the Godman and his Krishna is said to have made huge undeclared investments in several companies in India and abroad, including in tax havens. Some of these companies based in China, the USA, Singapore, and the UAE. Krishna allegedly re-routed funds from the ashram owned by his father to his companies.

Born as Vijay Kumar Naidu in Ullanatham Village in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, he began his career as a clerk with LIC. He later quit his job and turned into spiritually and declared himself Kalki Bhagavan. He set up his Oneness Temple in the early 1980s and preached what he called 'oneness philosophy'.

By 1999, Kalki set up a campus in Chennai called Somangalam, and also founded ¡®Oneness University'.

As his popularity increased in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh he also expanded his spiritual and business empires.

According to reports he charges between Rs 5000 to Rs 25,000 from devotees for darshan.

In 2014 he even purchased Studio N channel and other properties in Film Nagar in Hyderabad.

The 71-year-old is not new to controversies. The self-styled godman was in the past accused of land grabbing in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh where he has built a sprawling ashram.