FCRA violations: CBI raids at 40 places in crackdown on NGOs

New Delhi, May 10: The CBI is conducting a major countrywide operation against Union Home Ministry officials, NGO representatives and middlemen for allegedly facilitating violations of rules in receiving foreign donations.

The coordinated operation over the alleged breaches of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act is going on at around 40 locations including in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Mysore and some places in Rajasthan.

The operation was launched after a complaint from the Union Home Ministry to the CBI in this regards, a home ministry spokesperson said. Officials said that when the issue of alleged violations of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was brought to the notice of Home Minister Amit Shah, he directed that the strongest possible action should be taken against those involved.

The MHA then lodged the complaint with the CBI, they said.

It has been detected during the operation that several public officials from the MHA, NGO representatives and middleman exchanged money to facilitate the foreign donations in violation of FCRA, 2010, they said.

So far, the agency has apprehended around six persons including MHA officials and NGO representatives in connection with the case, they said.

The operation has till now led to a disclosure of hawala transactions worth Rs 2 crore, they said.