CBI registers case against U.S.-based Timothy Initiative, six others over alleged routing of funds through foreign debit cards

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against seven accused, including the U.S.-based The Timothy Initiative, in connection with the alleged routing of foreign funds into India, including to 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 organisation; Jonathan S. Rajan, Micah Mark and Ajit Verghese Mathai from Bengaluru, and Supreme Joy from Mysuru, in Karnataka; Bablu Kurmi from Goalpara in Assam; and Varghese Chacko from Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh.

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

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crore was sent from November 2025 to April 2026, allegedly in contravention of the FCRA, while about ₹44 crore was withdrawn using debit cards across multiple States, including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Assam, from January 2024 to March 2026.

When Mr. Mark was intercepted by the ED at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, on April 18, 2026, he had on him 24 foreign debit cards of Truist Bank and all of them had the name ‘Santosh Kumar’ printed on them, the CBI said.

“The same was carried out on the instructions of Ajit Verghese Mathai so as to avoid suspicion by law enforcement agencies, and in violation of KYC (Know Your Customer) norms to conceal the real user, thereby forging the real identity and using fraudulent means to evade the law,” the FIR alleged.

Subsequently, the ED’s searches revealed that Mr. Mark had allegedly made several trips abroad and returned with foreign debit cards and he 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.

It is also alleged after the search proceedings, The Timothy Initiative’s global web portal became inaccessible for India and the data maintained on cloud as well as in the seized laptop had been deleted from the back-end through remote access of servers and the laptop, which were allegedly maintained by The Timothy Initiative.

According to the FIR, Mr. Rajan was the overall operations in-charge of The Timothy Initiative in India, and in conspiracy with others, he ensured that the funds withdrawn from ATMs were used for The Timothy Initiative’s activities across India, “which included training, preaching and brainwashing of poor people leading to left-wing extremism, among others”. It is alleged that Mr. Rajan oversaw the training organised by The Timothy Initiative, the selection of persons who conducted the training, and the identification of venues.

As operations head, Mr. Rajan allegedly sent fund requirements to the finance team, which in turn arranged “illegal” funding from The Timothy Initiative via the foreign debit cards in question. Mr. Chacko, Mr. Joy, and Mr. Kurmi were field-level functionaries, who, in conspiracy with others, withdrew funds from multiple ATMs, and used the money for advancing the The Timothy Initiative’s activities, according to the FIR.

In April 2026, the ED had searched multiple locations, seized ₹37 lakh in cash, 24 foreign debit cards, and digital devices. Based on its 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 were being made from ATMs in India, typically in the range of ₹70,000-80,000, at intervals of two to three days, across multiple States,” an ED official had earlier said, adding that the funds were either deposited in cash in Indian bank accounts, or transferred online for meeting expenses.

The ED alleged that nearly ₹6.34 crore was taken out in the left-wing affected districts of Dhamtari and Bastar in Chhattisgarh. It also zeroed in on two Bengaluru-based entities, Lead LLP and Crosswise LLP, allegedly linked to Mr. Mathai.

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