The central investigative agency raided eight sites in Delhi and Ghaziabad.
New Delhi:
The Law Enforcement Department (ED) seized 3.57 crore rupees after raiding travel and travel agencies and their competent authorities in Delhi-NCR to investigate alleged irregularities in the processing of electronic visa applications for foreigners wishing to travel to India.
The central investigation agency said today that it raided eight locations in Delhi and Ghaziabad on July 9 under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The raids were carried out in the residences and offices of the directors of several travel and travel companies and their chartered accountants and 3.57 crore rupees as well as incriminating documents and digital recordings were seized, said l agency in a press release.
The ED has received “specific information” indicating that these entities were involved in the unauthorized reception of transfers of foreign funds via payment gateways in the name of providing electronic visa services to foreigners, he said. .
The agency said that the preliminary investigation had revealed that “two of these entities have received foreign payments of more than Rs 200 crore for the processing of Indian electronic visa applications from foreigners without any authorization from the government”.
“These entities have also been involved in suspicious, high-value transactions,” the statement said.
It was also noted that “certain chartered accountants played a key role in the management of the affairs of these entities and were behind the suspicious transactions they carried out”.
“The seizure of unrecognized money during the raids has raised new suspicions about the operations of these entities and a gross violation of statutory requirements,” said the DE.
An investigation is underway and the directors and officers of these companies will be interviewed, said a senior agency official.
