CBI registers FCRA case against U.S.-based The Timothy Initiative over alleged ₹92.55 crore foreign-fund routing

On September 16, 2026, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation registered a First Information Report against U.S.-based The Timothy Initiative and six people in India over alleged routing of foreign funds through Truist Bank debit cards, India Today and The Hindu reported. The Hindu named the India-based accused as Jonathan S. Rajan, Micah Mark, and Ajit Verghese Mathai of Bengaluru; Supreme Joy of Mysuru; Bablu Kurmi of Goalpara, Assam; and Varghese Chacko of Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh. India Today identified Rajan as India operations head and Mathai — spelled Varghese there — as India financial head. Both outlets said the FIR followed inputs from the Enforcement Directorate, which is running a separate probe. The Hindu said the CBI invoked the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, the Information Technology Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. This brief records those allegations. It is not a finding of guilt.

The FIR alleges that about ₹92.55 crore was sent from November 2025 to April 2026 in ways that may violate the FCRA, The Hindu reported, and that about ₹44 crore was withdrawn with the debit cards across states including Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Assam from January 2024 to March 2026. India Today, citing the CBI, said the funds were allegedly received and used for missionary activities in that later window. Both outlets said investigators allege more than 1,000 Truist Bank cards were distributed in India. The Hindu said the ED intercepted Mark at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, on April 18, 2026, with 24 Truist cards printed “Santosh Kumar,” allegedly on Mathai’s instructions to conceal the real user. In April 2026, the same account said, ED searches seized ₹37 lakh in cash, 24 foreign debit cards, and digital devices. Both outlets reported an allegation that after searches, The Timothy Initiative’s site became inaccessible in India and that cloud and seized-laptop data were deleted remotely. Earlier local FIRs were registered at Dhamtari on May 11 and at Kothanur in Bengaluru on June 11, The Hindu said.

The FIR, as quoted by The Hindu, alleged that Rajan oversaw use of the withdrawn cash for the group’s activities, including “training, preaching and brainwashing of poor people leading to left-wing extremism, among others” — an Enforcement Directorate / CBI allegation, not a finding in this brief. India Today likewise attributed “brainwashing of poor people leading to left-wing extremism” language to the ED. This brief records a foreign-contribution and mission-funding enforcement case. It does not treat trafficking-style or extremism claims as proven.