Mission India: Many Faces, One Intent – Part II

IndiaFacts Staff October 19, 2014

The first part of IndiaFacts investigation showed how Mission India (MI) of Michigan remits funds by itself as well as through assumed-name organizations to its subsidiary NGOs, Seva Bharat (SB) and Letha Charitable Trust (LCT) ) in India via FCRA. Mission India, now rapidly expanding its footprint in other parts of India (shown here) should not be ignored either. This part will reveal how the Evangelical Organization, Mission India, had invested in, nay, established a company called DTK Hospitality Tours Pvt. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as DTK) in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana.

Ownership of DTK Hospitality Tours Pvt Ltd.

Public documents accessed by us from Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India shows the names of three Directors for DTK (UCIN : U85110TG2004PTC044559):

Kenneth Alan Hoving, 12-5-23/2/C, Vijayapuri Colony, Tarnaka, Secunderabad-500017.
David Edward Bustraan, 293, Sunset Hls SW, Grand Rapids, Michigan 495345851 (Typo in Zip?)
Ronald Gene Vander Griend, 17690, Stockbridge Lane, Granger, Indiana 46530

DTK was established in 2004 with a paid-up capital of Rs. 21.16 Crore and the address is shown as 3-36, Pocharam Road, Chowdhariguda Gram Panchayat, Ghatkesar Mandal, Telangana-500088.

It is interesting to note that the Board of Directors of Mission India-Michigan shows Ken Hoving as its current Chairman and Dave Bustraan is shown as the contact for any gifts (presumably in the US). Thus, two of DTK’s current Directors are among persons who run Mission India.

Given this close association between the Indian company (supposedly in the business of “hospitality”) and the Michigan Evangelist non-profit Organization, it is pertinent that we examine the Articles of Association of DTK, dated 02.11.2004, as provided by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. It lists the following as the subscribers of DTK:

Expert Conversions Inc, 801, Ionia Avenue, Grand Rapids, Michigan-49503 represented by Donald Edward Chapman, 7549, Sunfish Lake Ct, Rockford, MI 49341, USA (Address. In India: 12-5-23/2/C, Vijayapuri Colony, Tarnaka, Secunderabad-500 017. (Acronym: ECI). See Ref. 1 of Form-990 of “another” company which shares this US address.
India Hospitality Tours LLC, P.O. Box No. 741, Rockford, MI 49341, USA represented by same person as in item #1 above. (Acronym: IHT)

Now, this is strange. What are these two new entities? Who owns them? To trace that, let us examine the LARA database of Michigan State Government. Queries for these companies provides the following data:

Expert Conversions Inc: ID: 42112C, Resident Agent: David Bustraan, Registered Office Address: 293, Sunset Hills, Grand Rapid MI 49534, Date of Incorporation: 10-Sep-2002
India Hospitality Tours LLC, ID: B8379R, Resident Agent: David Bustraan, Registered Office Address: 3125, 28th St, SW STE #3, Grandville, MI 49418, Date of Incorporation: 28-June-2004

In the Annual Reports filed by India Hospitality Tours (IHT) with Michigan State, Donald E Chapman is shown as the Resident Agent for the period 2005-2012. However, in 2014, Dave Bustraan’s name is shown. Tax returns submitted by IHT (if any) are not publicly available. However, the tax return (Form 990) for the year 2005 submitted by Mission India (EIN: 38-2944724), helps us.

Tax Forms submitted by Mission India in the US

The tax return clearly mentions IHT and ECI to be partners of Mission India. It further states DTK Hospitality Tours Pvt Ltd, Secunderabad to be a foreign partner of Mission India-Michigan whose “Principal Business Activity” is “Travel/Real Estate”. The Form is signed by Dave Bustraan who is shown as the VP of Mission India.

On page 32 (and page 9) of Form 990 submitted by MI in 2006, it is clearly stated that DTK is a “Controlled Entity” of MI and that “MI made loans of USD 272,621 to DTK Hospitality Tours Pvt Ltd” that year. Page 31 of Form 990 submitted by MI in 2007 mentions that IHT and ECI (both in Michigan) as well as DTK (in Secunderabad) are 100% owned by MI. On Page 33, it is further stated that MI has made loans to DTK and that the total outstanding balance was USD 81,142.

Operations of DTK Hospitality

DTK Hospitality Tours Pvt Ltd owns Ashirwad Global Learning Centre (AGLC) near Secundarabad. This facility is located in a lush 3-acre campus with a state-of-the-art Conference Centre, rooms with modern amenities, hostel to house hundreds of persons and similar luxurious amenities.

It is essentially a cloistered environment where short-term courses can be held and “national leaders” trained by international ones. A promotional video of AGLC can be found here. Because the video at that link might be taken down, as has been the experience of IndiaFacts in its earlier exposes, we have a backup of the same.

Incidentally, the FCRA records of Seva Bharat (SB) and Letha Charitable Trust (LCT) show that they are both located in the AGLC campus. In fact, the BSNL phone directory shows a nearly continuous record of the phone numbers of AGLC, SB and LCT, and all belonging to the same address.Let us now examine the documents submitted by DTK to India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Form 32 (which provides particulars of Directors of a company) for DTK, signed on 2 Nov 2004 by Donald Edward Chapman shows three names as its Directors: Chapman himself, Kenneth Alan Hoving (both of these names are already familiar to us) and a new name, Thomas William Sudyk^2-5 whose address is given as 5897, Nine Mile Road, Rockford, Michigan-49503. Annual Returns submitted by DTK until 2011 mentions these three names as its Directors.

Page 5 of the Annual Return for 2009 submitted by DTK confirms what we already know. It mentions two entities as its shareholders: (i) Expert Conversions Inc & (ii) India Hospitality LLC.

Page 45 of DTK’s Balance Sheet for 2013 mentions its business as “providing hospitality services through hotels, resorts, guesthouses and similar related facilities including travel related services for groups and individuals travelling from abroad to India and from India to abroad. The company also has a convention centre”. It further states on Page 47 that during the year, a sum of USD 430,000 (around Rs. 1.9 crore) was received from abroad towards investment. (IndiaFacts’ note: Presumably from IHT and/or ECI-Michigan). Similar amounts have been reported to be received from abroad in previous years’ Balance Sheets as well. However, in the Balance Sheet of 2009, it is reported that the company received larger funds of Rs. 7.4 Crore from abroad.

On Page 3 of the Balance Sheet for 2012, the Directors state that the Convention Centre and the Hostel Block are fully completed and add that the capacity utilisation is low due to downturn in global economy. They report that the company is under loss. However, year after year, they appear to be receiving foreign investments, presumably from their Principals in Michigan.

Several events^6-9 appear to be held regularly in the facilities established by DTK. Nearly all these events feature the phrase “Seva Bharat” in them.

Piecing it together

That Mission India, a “charity” non-profit Organization in Michigan floated two companies, either on its own and/or in association with a “businessman”. In late 2004, these two companies established an Indian subsidiary company (DTK) near Secunderabad. DTK’s infrastructural facilities host the operations of two FCRA-NGOs, namely, Seva Bharat and Letha Charitable Trust both of which are supported exclusively, to the tune of Rs. 27 Crore per annum by Mission India via FCRA.

Summary

Until now, it was known that American Evangelical Organizations send money to Christian NGOs in India via FCRA. One can now add that their activities in India are supported through the corporate route as well. The following schema depicts this composite understanding:

Acknowledgements

IndiaFacts acknowledges the assistance of well-wishers and friends and other sources who contributed to the investigation.

Citations

IndiaFacts Staff

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