CBI Books US Missionary Group For ₹92.55-Cr FCRA Violations
The case was registered following a complaint from the Union home ministry and an earlier investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI sources said on Wednesday.
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against US-based Christian missionary organisation The Timothy Initiative (TTI) and six individuals associated with it for allegedly using ₹92.55 crore for missionary activities in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
The case was registered following a complaint from the Union home ministry and an earlier investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI sources said on Wednesday.
The accused have been booked under provisions relating to the receipt and utilisation of foreign funds under the FCRA, criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and provisions of the Information Technology Act.
TTI has not issued a statement on the allegations.
The CBI alleged that ₹92.55 crore was utilised for missionary activities between November 2025 and April 2026 without the clearances required under the FCRA. Sources said TTI was not registered in India under the Act to receive foreign contributions.
In its complaint, the home ministry alleged that the ED investigation had revealed that ₹44 crore was withdrawn using foreign debit cards issued by Truist Bank in the United States. The withdrawals were allegedly made across several states and Union Territories, including Karnataka, Chandigarh and Assam, between January 2024 and March 2026 in violation of the FCRA.
Besides TTI, the CBI has booked the organisation's India operations in-charge Jonathan S. Rajan, finance head Ajit Verghese Mathai, Micah Mark and field-level functionaries Varghese Chacko, Supreme Joy and Bablu Kurmi.
The CBI alleged that Rajan ensured that money withdrawn from ATMs was used for TTI's activities across India, including training and preaching. The FIR also contains allegations relating to the targeting of poor people and Left-wing extremism.
The ED had allegedly intercepted Micah Mark, described as a key person involved in TTI's financial operations in India, at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on April 18. He was allegedly carrying 24 foreign debit cards issued by Truist Bank.
Searches at his residence allegedly revealed that he had made several foreign trips and returned with foreign debit cards.
According to the agency, the 24 cards were issued in the name of “Santosh Kumar”, which it described as a generic name, on the instructions of Ajit Verghese Mathai. Earlier cards had allegedly been issued in the names of regions such as “NE-1”, “NE-2” and “Southern Region-I”.
The CBI alleged that this was done to avoid suspicion, conceal the identity of the actual users and circumvent KYC requirements. It further alleged that more than 1,000 such debit cards had been distributed in India over the past few years.
The FIR also alleged that after the searches, TTI's global portal became inaccessible in India and that data stored on the cloud and on a seized laptop was deleted remotely from the back end.
The home ministry, in its complaint, said The Timothy Initiative, USA, qualified as a “foreign source” under the FCRA. It alleged that the receipt and utilisation of the funds were carried out without complying with mandatory conditions under Sections 8, 11 and 17 of the FCRA, 2010.