Ed Foreign Funding Probe Us Missionary Fir Maoist Areas Rs 92 Crore
Indian Express
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has got a police case registered in Bengaluru against a US-based Christian missionary organisation and seven people for allegedly channelling over Rs 92.55 crore in illegal foreign funds into India, with a portion said to have
reached Maoist-affected areas in Chhattisgarh and Assam.
According to the FIR registered based on the ED’s complaint filed at the Kothanur police station on Thursday, The Timothy Initiative (TTI), headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, routed foreign funds into India using US bank debit cards, withdrawing cash through ATMs across Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Assam—in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Between November 2025 and April 2026, Rs 92.55 crore ($9.9 million) was transacted allegedly in violation of laws. Over the past few years, more than 1,000 such foreign debit cards are alleged to have been distributed across India.
The ED complaint, filed by Assistant Director Sunil Kumar Sinhmar, also names Jonathan S Rajan, TTI’s India operations head based in Bengaluru; Micah Mark, Bengaluru; Ajit Varghese Mathai, Kothanur; Varghese Chacko, Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh; Bablu Kurmi, Goalpara, Assam; and Supreme Joy, Mysuru.
ED said the funds were received and utilised without a valid FCRA registration or government permission. Cards were allegedly issued in a fictitious name, Santosh Kumar. Additionally, TTI’s global portal became inaccessible to Indian users following ED’s raids, and digital banking records were allegedly deleted under Mark’s direction.
ED said its investigation revealed that in Dhamtari, a Maoist-affected area, foreign debit cards were used at the Vijaya Paleja branch ATM of a cooperative bank, with Chacko allegedly overseeing withdrawals. It claimed to have found evidence of Rs 6.34 crore being funnelled into these regions to sustain cash-based networks linked to Maoist units and cadres.
The FIR states that the foreign funds were intended to support unlawful activities in Maoist-affected regions. Jonathan Rajan is alleged to have overseen TTI’s entire India financial operations, coordinating with Ajit Varghese Mathai to route funds through front units, including Layer LLC and Karxess LLC. Mathai’s office was searched, and Rs 37 lakh in cash was seized. TTI’s total expenditure in India is estimated to exceed Rs 95 crore, the FIR stated.
The accused have been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 318 (4), 335(a)(2), 336(3), 238, 61(2), and 190, as well as Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act sections 13, 17, and 18.