The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday began interrogating Kriya Yoga Ashram chief and the Prabhujee English Medium School founder Swami Shankarananda Giri on his overseas financial transactions.
Reports said the Assistant Director and the Joint Director of the ED interrogated Giri for over two hours after his arrival in the ED office in the morning.
Reliable sources said he was asked about sources of overseas funds and how much foreign assistances have been received by the Kriya Yoga Ashram. Again he was too asked about utilisaion of funds and whether the institution has paid any income tax against the amount it has received from the overseas agencies. Notably, a Danish national, Allen Franklin Nielsen, had filed an FIR in the Sahid Nagar police station here in 2010 accusing Giri of duping him of Rs 2 crore.
In his complaint, Nielsen had claimed that he had given 3,20,000 euros, (about `2 crore), in phases over the last 10 years (between 2000 and 2010) either through bank or in cash after the Swami convinced him that he would return double the amount in two years.
He said the Swami had also signed an agreement with him in this regard but had not paid back the whole amount.
Giri had returned only 58,000 euros till February 23, 2010 in some instalments. Instead of paying back the rest amount, the Swami was threatening him with dire consequences, he had alleged.
Shankarananda had been visiting his country since 1991 and teaching Kriya Yoga, Nielsen had told reporters then. He had too alleged that instead of investing the money in the development of the school, the Swami had bought properties across the country and made a huge profit out of it.