CBI to take over probe into Ramdev's guru going missing

NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand government has issued a notication authorising CBI to take over the probe in the mysterious disappearance of Swami Shankar Dev, the guru of yoga teacher Ramdev and his close aide Balkrishna.

CBI sources said the Department of Personnel, the controlling ministry of the investigating agency, issued a notification for taking over the case after a request for the same was made by the state government.

Uttarakhand Police registered a case of abduction to probe the disappearance of Dev who has been missing since July 2007 when he had gone out for a morning walk.

The state government had earlier sent a request to CBI in October last year to probe the case but the same was rejected as the state police had not even registered a case, the basic formality before the agency takes up the probe.

Swami Shankar Dev was the founder of Divya Yog Mandir Trust, currently headed by Ramdev who is already under the scanner for alleged violations in labelling of some of the products of the Trust.

Ramdev had earlier welcomed the decision of the government for a CBI probe into the disappearance of his guru.

Ramdev and his trusts are facing a number of probes by the Income Tax, Service Tax and Enforcement Directorate for alleged evasion of taxes and irregularities in complying with forex laws.