ED raids 12 locations over Nandurbar trust’s alleged FCRA violations

ED conducted searches at 12 locations in Maharashtra linked to a Yemeni couple and a trust accused of violating FCRA and money laundering.

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at 12 locations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, as part of its money-laundering probe into individuals, including a Yemeni national and his wife, allegedly linked to a Nandurbar-based educational and charitable trust that was accused of violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) last year.

ED raids 12 locations over Nandurbar trust’s alleged FCRA violations

The searches were carried out at the premises of individuals and entities connected with the Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom (JIIU), which came under the scanner of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last year for allegedly diverting foreign donations to entities not registered under the FCRA. The MHA had cancelled JIIU’s FCRA registration in July 2024.

FCRA regulates the acceptance and use of foreign donations to ensure such funds are not used to negatively impact the country’s national interest. The Act requires organisations to register with the government and follow strict rules on how they receive and spend foreign funds.

The ED’s investigation is based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Akkalkuwa police station in Nandurbar on February 11 under various sections of the Foreigners Act, the Indian Telegraph Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against certain accused. The FIR was based on a complaint filed by police inspector Sandeep Patil on behalf of the state government.

Subsequently, the Nandurbar police submitted a charge sheet on April 11, naming a Yemeni national, Al-Khadami Khaled Ibrahim Saleh; his wife, Khadega Ibrahim Kasim Al-Nasheri; JIIU president Huzefa Mohammad Randhera; and its founder, the late Ghulam Mohammad Randhera, as the accused.

The Yemeni couple allegedly entered India on a medical visa, which expired in 2015-16 and was never renewed, constituting an illegal overstay by them in India. According to investigators, the Yemeni nationals also fraudulently obtained Aadhaar, PAN and SIM cards, and opened bank accounts in India with the help of JIIU staff.

Khadega allegedly received ₹5.7 lakh in a private bank account, which the police claimed came through hawala channels from Yemen. The trust is alleged to have financially supported the Yemeni couple’s stay and also employed a foreign teacher, in violation of the Foreigners Act, officials said.

The ED is verifying information it received that the JIIU trust had allegedly received foreign donations worth ₹410 crore from 2014-15 to 2023-24, officials said. A substantial portion of these donations was received from Botswana, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, and tax havens such as Seychelles, Mauritius, Panama, and Switzerland, officials added.