Rs 92 Crore via 1,000 Debit Cards: US Christian Group Charged With Illegal Funding, Link To 'Extremism'

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against US-based Christian evangelist organisation The Timothy Initiative (TTI) and six local persons for allegedly withdrawing foreign funds worth about Rs 92.55 crore in cash from ATMs across India, using debit cards issued by an American bank, without even being registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). These funds were allegedly used for "training, preaching and brainwashing of poor people leading to left-wing extremism", as per the first information report (FIR).

The CBI registered the FIR on August 27, naming Jonathan S Rajan, Micah Mark, Ajit Verghese Mathai, Bablu Kurmi, Supreme Joy, Varghese Chacko, TTI, and other as-yet-unknown persons as accused. The debit cards were issued by Truist Bank in the United States, through which $99,95,240 was withdrawn from November 2025 to April 2026, as per the CBI. These transactions span Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Assam, besides other states.

The TTI, which lists "a church in every village, everywhere" as its goal, has not yet reacted. Nor have the other accused and the bank.

How 'Scam' Came To Light 

Officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) intercepted Micah Mark at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on April 18, apparently on his tail for a while. They found him in possession of 24 foreign debit cards of Truist Bank, many "printed only in the name of Santosh Kumar". This name was used allegedly on Mathai's instructions "to avoid suspicion". The ED noted in its letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that Santosh Kumar is "a very generic name in India".

The FIR says Mark made multiple such foreign trips and returned with debit cards. He is described as a key person in the financial operations of TTI in India.

"Over 1,000 such debit cards have been distributed in India over the past few years," the FIR says.

ED officials seized Rs 37 lakh in cash from Mathai's premises in Bengaluru that had allegedly been withdrawn using the foreign debit cards.

Who Did What

The FIR also sets out the roles of the other accused, among whom Rajan is described as the "overall Operation In-charge" of the TTI in India. He is the one who allegedly ensured the ATM withdrawals were used for the activities of TTI across India.

The ED letter to MHA names Mathai as the "overall Finance Head of the India operations of TTI, USA, through various front/shell entities like Lead LLP and Crosswise LLP, having registered office in Bangalore". It states that the foreign debit cards were distributed "under his direct supervision".

Chacko, Joy and Kurmi are described in the FIR as "field-level functionaries". It says they withdrew the funds and used for TTI activities.

The ED letter says the cash withdrawn "squarely falls within the definition of 'foreign contribution' under section 2(1)(h) of the FCRA, 2010". Thus, TTI qualifies as a "foreign source".

According to the documents, Rajan, Mark and Mathai are based in Bengaluru, Joy in Mysuru, Kurmi in Goalpara, Assam, and Chacko in Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh. TTI is listed at a post office box in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Data Wiped During Search: ED

The FIR alleges that after the searches, TTI's global portal, ttiglobal.org, "became inaccessible for India". "The data, which is maintained on cloud, as well as in the seized laptop has been deleted from the back-end through remote access of the servers and laptop, which are maintained by TTI, USA," it adds.

The ED's report of April 19 says that the day earlier, access to India-specific payments data was restricted. A laptop that was "fully accessible" was also found "completely wiped-out" at 13:30 hours. On accounting software QuickBooks, full access was recorded at first, but India-specific data was disabled within hours.

The ED searched the premises of the accused on April 18 and 19 under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the Income Tax Act. On June 4, ED deputy director Sohrab Singh Chauhan wrote to the joint secretary of the MHA's FCRA wing and sought "appropriate action including registration of FIR". By June, the MHA entrusted the case to the CBI, which eventually registered the FIR.