Travel agencies under ED scanner for e-visa transactions

A group of tour and travel firms in the National Capital Region (NCR) are under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged irregularities in processing e-visa applications for foreigners planning to visit India, officials said on Saturday.

The agency has conducted searches in eight locations in Delhi and adjoining Ghaziabad last Thursday under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) during which Rs 3.57 crore cash and digital documents were recovered.

An official statement said the searches were conducted at the offices and residences of directors of several tour and travel companies and their Chartered Accountants.

According to the ED, these entities are believed to have received foreign remittance illegally in the name of providing e-visa services to foreigners.

"Two such entities received foreign remittance of more than Rs 200 crore for processing Indian e-visa applications of foreigners without any authorisation from the government. These entities were also involved in high value suspicious transactions," it said.

Certain Chartered Accountants are also believed to have played a key role in managing the affairs of these entities and were behind the suspicious transactions carried out by them, the ED said.

"The seizure of unaccounted cash during the raids has raised further suspicion about the operations of such entities and blatant violation of statutory requirements," it added.