<p>Self-styled godman ‘Kalki Bhagwan’, who has a dedicated following in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, has evaded tax to the tune of Rs 500 crore, an investigation by the Income Tax department has found.</p>.<p>A huge amount of cash – Rs 43.9 crore in INR and 18 crores in USD -- and 88 kg of gold valued at 26 crores have been recovered from the premises owned by the godman and his son, Krishna, during the raids that began on Wednesday.</p>.<p>I-T sleuths had swooped down on more than 40 premises, including ashrams owned by the godman, in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday based on a specific input that ‘Kalki Bhagwan’ and his son have evaded tax to the tune of crores of rupees.</p>.<p>Sources in the I-T department told DH that incriminating documents recovered from ashrams and other premises owned by the father-son duo have shown that they have evaded tax to the tune of Rs 500 crores.</p>.<p>The sources said the raids were conducted based on a specific input that Krishna is said to have made huge investments in ventures of his associates in which tax evasion is suspected. The information was that Krishna has re-routed funds from the ashram owned by his father to his companies, the sources said.</p>.<p>“Cash and gold recovery was huge. They were recovered from the ashrams owned by the godman. Documents were seized from both ashrams and premises owned by the duo,” a senior official said.</p>.<p>The ashram has been in the news for several bad reasons besides being accused of minting money as an ordinary darshan of a couple is priced at Rs 5,000 and special darshan at Rs 25,000. The self-styled godman also faces allegations of land grabbing in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh where he has built a sprawling ashram.</p>.<p>Born as Vijayakumar Naidu, Kalki Bhagwan began his career as a clerk with Life Insurance Corporation of India and started a residential school called Jeevashram in Chittoor along with a friend.</p>.<p>In the 1990s, Kalki Bhagwan became quite popular in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with thousands of devotees thronging his ashram near Chennai.</p>
<p>Self-styled godman ‘Kalki Bhagwan’, who has a dedicated following in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, has evaded tax to the tune of Rs 500 crore, an investigation by the Income Tax department has found.</p>.<p>A huge amount of cash – Rs 43.9 crore in INR and 18 crores in USD -- and 88 kg of gold valued at 26 crores have been recovered from the premises owned by the godman and his son, Krishna, during the raids that began on Wednesday.</p>.<p>I-T sleuths had swooped down on more than 40 premises, including ashrams owned by the godman, in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday based on a specific input that ‘Kalki Bhagwan’ and his son have evaded tax to the tune of crores of rupees.</p>.<p>Sources in the I-T department told DH that incriminating documents recovered from ashrams and other premises owned by the father-son duo have shown that they have evaded tax to the tune of Rs 500 crores.</p>.<p>The sources said the raids were conducted based on a specific input that Krishna is said to have made huge investments in ventures of his associates in which tax evasion is suspected. The information was that Krishna has re-routed funds from the ashram owned by his father to his companies, the sources said.</p>.<p>“Cash and gold recovery was huge. They were recovered from the ashrams owned by the godman. Documents were seized from both ashrams and premises owned by the duo,” a senior official said.</p>.<p>The ashram has been in the news for several bad reasons besides being accused of minting money as an ordinary darshan of a couple is priced at Rs 5,000 and special darshan at Rs 25,000. The self-styled godman also faces allegations of land grabbing in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh where he has built a sprawling ashram.</p>.<p>Born as Vijayakumar Naidu, Kalki Bhagwan began his career as a clerk with Life Insurance Corporation of India and started a residential school called Jeevashram in Chittoor along with a friend.</p>.<p>In the 1990s, Kalki Bhagwan became quite popular in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with thousands of devotees thronging his ashram near Chennai.</p>
