HYDERABAD: Officials from the Income-Tax Department raided several NGOs in Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana state for allegedly collecting funds from donors under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act of 2010 (FCRA) and diverting it to buy lands.
Around 40 teams of IT officials raided Bala Vikasa, an Indo-Canadian NGO, as well as the Bala Vikasa Centre of Social and Resource offices in Somajiguda, Jeedimetla, Ghatkesar, Uppal, Alwal, and Warangal.
Raids were conducted on the residence and office of Bala Vikasa executive director Shourya Reddy Singareddy and its board director Bala Theresa in Hyderabad as well in Warangal. The I-T officials examined the money transactions obtained by Bala Vikasa from donors as well as the NGO's expenditure.
The Income Tax department official also found that the NGO purchased lands, constructed buildings at different places and verified the accounts reports suspecting that if any violations took place by organisers in obtaining foreign funds. The NGO was founded by Bala Theresa Singareddy and her French-Canadian husband Andre Gingras. Sopar Bala Vikasa, an NGO based in Canada, is the society's parent organisation.
