Rs 2 crore seized in raids on pastors Bajinder Singh, Harpreet Deol in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 1

Raids by sleuths of the Income Tax (I-T) Department, which were reportedly carried out at six or seven places, including the premises and churches of two pastors of Doaba – Bajinder Singh of Tajpur village in Jalandhar and Harpreet Deol of Khojewal village in Kapurthala – concluded on Tuesday night.

The raids started simultaneously at all sites in Jalandhar, Amritsar and New Chandigarh at 6 am on Tuesday and continued for 16 hours before concluding the same day at 10 pm.

The officials reportedly confiscated Rs 2 crore unaccounted cash in the raids.

The I-T teams also managed to confiscate some documents related to properties and other assets of the pastors. Officials said thorough investigation had begun to probe all angles, including tax evasions and any violations into the foreign funding.

The department was also probing the use of donations by the two churches in Kapurthala and Jalandhar, they said.

“We have sought documentary evidences of any charity work being done by them, the overall use of donations that they have been collecting and the setting up of offshore centres in Dubai, Mauritius and other places,” said an official supervising the raid.

While Deol runs a huge church – The Open Door Church – in Kapurthala, Bajinder Singh has set up The Church of Glory and Wisdom in Jalandhar.

Both are Pentecostal pastors and engaged in miracle healing, involving a huge number of followers mostly from the Dalit community and the poor sections of society. Both had set up international lines for prayers and were organising sermons and events on regular basis in India and abroad.

Properties, papers confiscated

• The I-T teams confiscated some documents related to properties and other assets of the pastors
• Investigation has begun to probe all angles, including tax evasions and any violations, into the foreign funding
• The department is also probing the use of donations by two churches in Kapurthala and Jalandhar

#Doaba