The CBI has registered a case against US-based Timothy Initiative and six others for allegedly routing funds through foreign debit cards

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against seven accused, including the US-based The Timothy Initiative, in connection with the alleged diversion of foreign funds to India, including regions affected by left-wing extremism, through foreign debit cards.

Those named in the First Information Report (FIR) are The Timothy Initiative, an international Christian evangelical organization; Jonathan S. Rajan, Micah Mark and Ajit Verghese Mathai from Bengaluru and Supreme Joy from Mysuru, Karnataka; Bablu Kurmi of Goalpara in Assam; and Varghese Chacko of Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh.

The agency, which recently received information from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case, invoked provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act against the accused.

The FIR alleges that the others entered into a criminal conspiracy with The Timothy Initiative and withdrew funds from overseas through various ATMs across India using foreign debit cards issued by American Truist Bank. An estimated ₹92.55 crore was sent from November 2025 to April 2026, allegedly in violation of the FCRA, while from January 2024 to March 2026, about ₹44 crore was withdrawn using debit cards in multiple states, including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

When Mr. Mark was detained by the ED at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on April 18, 2026, he was carrying 24 Truist Bank foreign debit cards with the name ‘Santosh Kumar’ printed on them, the CBI said.

“The same was done at the behest of Ajit Verghes Mathai to avoid suspicion by law enforcement agencies and in violation of KYC (Know Your Customer) norms to hide the real user and thereby falsify the real identity and use fraudulent means to circumvent the law,” the FIR said.

Subsequently, ED investigations revealed that Mr. Mark had allegedly taken several trips abroad and returned with foreign debit cards and was a “key person in the financial operations of The Timothy Initiative” in India. Over 1,000 such debit cards have been distributed in India over the past few years.

Following the search proceedings, it is also alleged that The Timothy Initiative’s global web portal has become unavailable for India and data stored in the cloud as well as on the seized laptop has been wiped from the back-end through remote access to servers and a laptop allegedly managed by The Timothy Initiative.

According to the FIR, Mr. Rajan was in charge of the overall operations of The Timothy Initiative in India and, in conspiracy with others, ensured that funds collected from ATMs were used for The Timothy Initiative’s activities across India “which included training, preaching and brainwashing poor people into left-wing extremism, among other things.” Mr. Rajan is said to have supervised the training organized by The Timothy Initiative, the selection of the persons who conducted the training and the identification of the venues.

As operations manager, Mr. Rajan allegedly sent requests for funds to the finance team, who in turn arranged for “illegal” funding from The Timothy Initiative through the foreign debit cards in question. According to the FIR, Mr. Chacko, Mr. Joy and Mr. Kurmi were field-level functionaries who, in conspiracy with others, withdrew funds from several ATMs and used the money to support the activities of The Timothy Initiative.

In April 2026, the ED searched several places, seized ₹37 crore in cash, 24 foreign debit cards and digital equipment. Based on her complaints, an FIR was registered at Dhamtari police station in Chhattisgarh on May 11 and another at Kothanur police station in Bengaluru on June 11.

“The input indicated that repeated cash withdrawals, usually in the range of ₹70,000 to ₹80,000, were made from ATMs in India at intervals of two to three days, across multiple states,” an ED official said earlier, adding that the funds were either deposited in cash in Indian bank accounts or transferred online for meeting-related expenses.

The ED claimed that nearly ₹6.34 crore was taken in Chhattisgarh’s Left-hit Dhamtari and Bastar districts. It also targeted two Bengaluru-based entities, Lead LLP and Crosswise LLP, allegedly linked to Mr Mathai.

Published – 16 Sep 2026 22:26 IST