The ill-famed NGO Good News India’s finances and foreign funding sources have come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate as part of the investigation in the Dhenkanal Shelter Home sexual abuse case.
Earlier this month, the female inmates of the Dhenkanal Shelter Home, owned by Good News India, had complained of sexual abuse. After the complaints of the inmates, the Dream Centre Shelter was sealed and its owners were arrested. The NGO Good News India runs 22 shelters in total including the Dream Centre Shelter at Beltikiri, Dhenkanal. The ED will investigate the financial irregularities and source of foreign funding of all the 22 shelter homes of the NGO, which are illegally running at different places in Odisha.
The ED has also asked the police to provide a copy of the FIR and the charge sheet in the case. “After receiving the charge sheet, we will examine it and if any financial irregularities are found, the investigation will be carried out under Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA),” an ED official said.
The Managing Director of the NGO was arrested by the police on the charges of sexual harassment and his bail plea was also rejected by the court. “The ED might seek remand of Good News India managing director Fayaz Rahman under the Foreign Exchange Management FEMA Act (FEMA) for questioning on the money trail of the NGO,” said a senior official.
Apart from the allegations of sexual harassment, the NGO is also facing allegations of carrying out religious conversions of the inmates. The website of the NGO states that their mission is to transform communities by connecting to the “primitive, savages and tribal people to bring social, spiritual and economic transformations in their lives”.
