The Income Tax Department on Tuesday conducted raids on the premises linked to Punjab’s two pastors — Baljinder Singh from Tajpur village in Jalandhar, and Harpreet Deol from Khojewal village of Kapurthala.
Separate teams from Bhatinda, Haryana, Jammu, and Amritsar conducted raids at various locations — related to the two pastors — including churches and houses, in Amritsar, Kurali, and New Chandigarh in Punjab. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed around the church and outside the two pastor’s residences.
Starting raids early in the morning, the IT teams first scrutinized documents related to ‘The Open Door Church’ — a famous church in northern India located in Khojewal, Kapurthala. The teams interrogated more than 30 employees.
The teams also conducted raids at several centres set up by Bajinder Singh by the name of ‘The Church of Glory’ and ‘Wisdom’ at New Chandigarh and Amritsar.
It has been learnt that the IT department has reportedly received a tip regarding huge foreign funding, violations in fund transfer, tax evasion, among others related to the two.