Published Jun 14, 2026 | 5:45 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 14, 2026 | 5:45 PM
Karnataka State Police.
Synopsis: Karnataka Police have booked six people and the US-based The Timothy Initiative (TTI) for allegedly operating a network that withdrew and used around ₹92.55 crore through US-issued debit cards across India in violation of FEMA and FCRA provisions. The FIR, filed in Bengaluru under various provisions of the BNS and the UAPA, states that some of the withdrawals were traced to Naxalite-affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
The Karnataka Police have booked six people and the US-based The Timothy Initiative (TTI) for allegedly operating a clandestine network that illegally withdrew approximately ₹92.55 crore ($9,995,240) through US-issued debit cards from ATMs across India, including in Naxalite-affected regions of Chhattisgarh.
An FIR registered by the Kothanur police in Bengaluru on 11 June names Jonathan S Rajan, Micah Mark, Ajit Varghese Mathai, Varghese Chacko, Bablu Kurmi, Supreme Joy and The Timothy Initiative (USA), among others, as accused.
The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including criminal conspiracy; cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property; forgery for the purpose of cheating; forgery of valuable security or title documents; using forged documents or electronic records as genuine; and making false documents or electronic records.
It also invokes provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, for allegedly engaging in and promoting unlawful activities; conspiring to commit a terrorist act; and undertaking acts in preparation for such terrorist acts.
The FIR states that search and seizure operations conducted by the Directorate of Enforcement on 18 and 19 April revealed that the accused, allegedly acting in association with TTI, used foreign-origin debit cards issued by Truist Bank, US, to withdraw and utilise foreign funds through ATMs across Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Assam and several other states in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).
The FIR names Micah Mark as the key person handling TTI’s financial operations in India. He was intercepted at Kempegowda International Airport on 18 April and was allegedly found carrying 24 foreign debit cards issued by Truist Bank.
The cards reportedly bore the name “Santosh Kumar” and carried markings such as “NE One”, “NE Two” and “Southern Region One”. More than 1,000 such debit cards had allegedly been distributed across India over the past few years.
Following the Enforcement Directorate’s raids, the FIR alleges that access to TTI’s global portal became unavailable to users in India and that cloud-based data maintained by the organisation was remotely deleted from servers operated in the United States. Micah Mark allegedly admitted to having completely deleted, or “blanket deleted”, his account.
The FIR further states that suspicious transactions were traced to the Naxalite-affected Dhamtari and Bastar regions, where an estimated ₹6.34 crore was allegedly withdrawn over the past few years.
Of this amount, approximately ₹3.2 crore was allegedly withdrawn through around 3,200 transactions of nearly ₹10,000 each from a single AU Small Finance Bank ATM located at Vijaya Plaza on the Kori–Bastar Road.
The FIR alleges that these withdrawals were carried out using two debit cards under the supervision of field-level worker Varghese Chacko.
The pattern of withdrawals points to an organised network operating in Naxalite-affected districts and suggests that foreign funds received from TTI were utilised for activities in those areas, the FIR states.
