In a major development in the ongoing investigation into the foreign funding network linked to the United States-based evangelical organisation The Timothy Initiative (TTI), Bengaluru Police have registered an FIR in the case. The FIR names six individuals and TTI. The case concerns the routing of foreign funds worth Rs 92.55 crore into India through foreign-issued debit cards. According to the FIR accessed by OpIndia, the ED said in its complaint that TTI’s training sermons and brainwashing of poor people led to Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).
The FIR was registered on 11th June at Kothanur Police Station based on a complaint filed by Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Sunil Kumar Sinhmar, under Sections 318(4), 335(A)(ii), 336(3), 238, 61(2) and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 13, 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The complaint was filed through the office of the Bengaluru Police Commissioner.
Notably, search and seizure operations were carried out by the ED on 18th and 19th April 2026 under Section 132 of the Income Tax Act and Section 37 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The accused named in the FIR
The accused named in the FIR are Jonathan S Rajan, Micah Mark, Ajit Verghese Mathai, Varghese Chacko, Bablu Kurmi, Supreme Joy and The Timothy Initiative USA and others.
According to the FIR, the accused persons and the US-based evangelical organisation entered into a criminal conspiracy to bring foreign-origin funds into India through debit cards issued by a bank in the United States. The FIR stated that these funds were withdrawn from ATMs across India and used for activities linked to TTI’s operations.
Foreign debit cards and the Rs 92.55 crore trail
According to the complainant, based on financial transactions, documents and statements, the process of accessing foreign funds was in violation of the FEMA Act and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). It further stated that between November 2025 and April 2026, around Rs 92.55 crore, or USD 99,95,240, was used in violation of legal provisions.
Furthermore, the FIR states that between January 2024 and March 2026, around Rs 44 crore was withdrawn using foreign debit cards in several states, including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Assam.
Micah Mark intercepted at Bengaluru airport
A key part of the FIR concerns the detention of Micah Mark at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on 18th April 2026. According to the FIR, when he was intercepted by the ED, he was found to be in possession of 24 foreign debit cards.
During the investigation, the agency found that Micah Mark had travelled abroad several times and brought foreign debit cards into India. According to the FIR, he was the key person handling the main financial operations of TTI in India.
The FIR stated that most of the foreign debit cards were printed in the name of one “Santosh Kumar”. Since the same name appeared on the cards, the cards were internally identified using regional labels such as NE-1, NE-2 and Southern Region-1. It was done to avoid suspicion during LEA and KYC scrutiny.
The FIR says that the foreign debit cards were printed in the name of one “Santosh Kumar”. Since the same name appeared on the cards, the cards were internally identified using regional labels such as NE-1, NE-2 and Southern Region-1. The FIR states that this was done to avoid suspicion during Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) and Know Your Customer (KYC) scrutiny and to conceal original records. Around 1,000 such debit cards had been distributed in India over the past few years.
FIR states digital evidence was destroyed
The complainant pointed towards the destruction of digital evidence by the accused. According to the FIR, following the searches by the ED, the TTI Global portal became unusable for Indian users. It further stated that data maintained in the cloud was erased through remote access to servers maintained by TTI in the US.
During questioning, Micah Mark admitted that his account had been deleted from the backend. The report of the incident and the video recording were provided to the police by the complainant.
Suspicious withdrawals in LWE-affected areas
One of the most concerning aspects of the investigation was the suspicious cash transactions that took place in Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas, including the Dhamtari and Bastar regions of Chhattisgarh, using these foreign debit cards. Around Rs 6.34 crore was withdrawn in such regions. The FIR further stated that the debit cards were used in a planned manner to withdraw large amounts of cash, indicating the involvement of an organised network.
The FIR said that the emergence of a cash-based economy in Naxalite-affected areas poses a serious threat to India’s security and economic integrity and facilitates the illegal transfer of money for unlawful activities. It stated that around Rs 3.2 crore was withdrawn through 3,200 transactions of Rs 10,000 each.
The FIR specifically mentioned that this amount was withdrawn using two debit cards from a single AU Small Finance Bank ATM at Vijay Plaza on Bastar Road in Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh. It stated that the withdrawals were made under the supervision of field-level worker Varghese Chacko.
UAPA invoked over movement of foreign funds to Naxal-affected areas
The FIR stated that the pattern of systematic cash withdrawals through units and field workers in LWE/Naxalite-affected districts of Chhattisgarh involved foreign funds received from and directed by The Timothy Initiative of America.
It further stated that this is prima facie an “unlawful activity” within the meaning of Section 2(o) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The FIR added that the foreign funds were intended to be carried into areas under active Naxal influence.
Because of this, the FIR said that the transfer of money from the foreign-based TTI to LWE/Naxalite-affected districts of Chhattisgarh attracts provisions of the UAPA.
Role attributed to Ajit Verghese Mathai and Jonathan S Rajan
According to the FIR, Ajit Verghese Mathai was the overall finance head of TTI’s India operations. It stated that the transfers were routed through various front or shell entities registered in Bengaluru. Furthermore, Rs 37 lakh in cash, which was withdrawn using foreign debit cards, was seized from Mathai’s office.
The FIR also stated that Jonathan S Rajan was in charge of the overall operations of TTI in India. It records that he, along with Ajit Verghese Mathai, conspired to withdraw money from ATMs for TTI activities across India.
The FIR pointed out that the money was used for activities including training, religious preaching, and brainwashing poor people in a manner leading to Left-Wing Extremism. It also stated that Jonathan Rajan looked after the selection of persons conducting such training and the identification of places where such programmes were to be conducted.
Field-level workers and TTI expenditure
The FIR added that Varghese Chacko, Supreme Joy and Bablu Kurmi were field-level workers who, in conspiracy with others, withdrew money from several ATMs using foreign debit cards and used it for TTI purposes.
The FIR further stated that evidence revealed TTI had spent more than Rs 95 crore in India. It cited a screenshot from quickbook.com, described as the accounting software used by TTI, and stated that Micah Mark was questioned about expenditure bills collected by various field coordinators during the previous six months. According to the FIR, he stated that these were paid by TTI between November 2025 and April 2026.
Background of the case
The FIR against TTI is the latest development in a wider probe into the foreign-funded evangelical network that has been under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate. OpIndia has done a series of reports on TTI over the past few months. During our investigation, we revealed how TTI built its India network, how foreign churches supported its activities and how funds from abroad were brought into India despite the organisation not having FCRA approval, which was the core of the ED’s investigation in the first place.
As reported earlier in this series, TTI began as “Project India” in 2009 and was later rebranded as TTI in 2009. Its founder, David Nelms, had first come to India in 1992, and the organisation later developed a structured church-planting model focused on India and other countries.
TTI’s model was built around creating layers of local religious workers, described in its own ecosystem through terms such as Pauls, Timothys and Tituses. The model projected low-cost house churches, with each unit requiring only a few hundred dollars to plant.
OpIndia’s investigation revealed how TTI’s India-focused work was not a standalone activity. It was connected with a wider ecosystem of foreign churches and Christian networks, mostly from the US and Canada. Names that surfaced during our investigation included Kensington Church, Mission Grove Church, Northwest Baptist Church, Wooddale Church, Rise City Church, Mission Hills Church, First Presbyterian Church of Hanford, Springbrook Community Church, the Baptist General Conference of Canada, Liberty Church Network, All Access International, Saltbox Church and Woodside Bible Church.
Several of these foreign churches openly described their work in India or with TTI in terms of church planting, pastor training, field visits and funding targets. Kensington Church was linked to thousands of house churches in northern India, along with India visits, field engagement, children’s homes and medical camps. Mission Grove Church spoke of thousands of churches in northern India and Nepal, and fundraising linked to church planting in India and Bangladesh. Wooddale Church was linked to TTI training trips across India, Nepal and Bangladesh, along with references to thousands of leaders and churches.
Furthermore, it was found that TTI’s own training and operational material showed how the organisation trained local workers to enter Hindu-dominated villages, approach Hindus, avoid suspicion, use local social structures and identify caste leaders for outreach. The organisation’s model was not limited to preaching from outside. It depended on local field-level workers, layered leadership, village-level access and a structured expansion plan.
What started with FCRA and FEMA violations has now moved into the realm of national security.
