US-based Christian missionary booked under UAPA

A case has been registered against a US-based organisation and six others after the ED lodged a complaint alleging illegal utilisation of foreign funds through a network of foreign debit cards, including in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas of the country.

Based on the complaint filed by ED Assistant Director Sunil Kumar Sinhmar, Kothanur Police in Bengaluru registered on June 11 under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The FIR names Jonathan S Rajan, Micah Mark, Ajit Verghese Mathai, Varghese Chacko, Bablu Kurmi, Supreme Joy, US-based The Timothy Initiative and others as accused.

In the complaint, the ED alleged that searches conducted on April 18 and 19 under provisions of the Income Tax Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act revealed that the accused, in association with TTI, used foreign-origin debit cards issued by a US bank to withdraw and utilise foreign funds across India. The agency alleged that approximately `92.55 crore ($99,95,240) was utilised illegally during the six-month period from November 2025 to April 2026 in violation of FEMA and FCRA provisions. According to the FIR, Micah Mark was detained at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on April 18 and was allegedly found in possession of 24 foreign debit cards. More than 1,000 such cards had been distributed across India, many carrying the common name ‘Santosh Kumar’ while using regional identifiers such as “NE-1”, “NE-2” and “Southern Region-1”.

The ED further alleged that suspicious cash withdrawals were detected in LWE-affected regions of Chhattisgarh. The FIR states that approximately Rs 6.34 crore is estimated to have been withdrawn in areas including Dhamtari and Bastar over the past few years.

The complaint alleged that the use of foreign debit cards for large-scale cash withdrawals indicated the involvement of an organised network and that the funds were allegedly channelled into Naxalite-influenced regions. It stated that such activities constituted an unlawful activity under the UAPA and posed a threat to India’s security and economic integrity.