A prayer meeting held at a church in Salem district reportedly turned chaotic after victims of an alleged ₹3,000 crore financial fraud involving the Mother Teresa Trust confronted Pastor Senthilkumar, who is accused of being associated with the trust.
According to reports, Pastor Senthilkumar had returned to the same premises where the alleged financial activities were conducted and organised a prayer meeting. When victims arrived at the venue and confronted him, the pastor reportedly fled through the rear exit, abandoning his seat.
Enraged by his sudden departure, members of the crowd allegedly smashed chairs and tables at the venue. The victims also staged a sit-in protest inside the hall, demanding action against those accused in the alleged fraud.
The Mother Teresa Trust was reportedly established in Ammapet in Salem district in 2023 by a four-member group comprising Vijayabanu, Jayapradha, Pastor Senthilkumar and Jhansi.
The group allegedly attracted people by initially offering free computer training, tailoring classes, English-language coaching and competitive-exam preparation. As its membership increased, it reportedly introduced additional schemes, including grocery distribution and pension programmes.
The group allegedly went on to lure people with promises of doubling their investments. It also reportedly claimed that money received from abroad for the trust would be distributed among those who invested.
According to the victims, around 45,000 families joined the schemes and invested their money.
One victim said that Pastor Senthilkumar was the person through whom they were introduced to the scheme.
“The only person we knew was Pastor Senthil. He was the one who brought that woman and told us to participate, explaining that they were undertaking projects like land development and promising that our investments would yield double the returns. We acted based on that trust. We didn’t know Vijayabanu or the others; we only knew Pastor Senthil and this specific location. People invested their money trusting him, believing that since he was a pastor, he was an honest man.”
Another victim described how the alleged scheme was operated from the premises.
“They claimed to run a trust and said, “Money comes from abroad, so invest here; you’ll get double the returns.” Right here, they set up rows of chairs and initially distributed gifts like sarees and clothes; they encouraged people to join gold savings schemes. We even came and saw the place in person. Everything took place right here; they conducted proceedings in an organized manner on the upper floor. They utilized the space downstairs and the floor above. Since it was Pastor Senthil’s own property—a church—and he was a Christian, we trusted him and visited the site. They arranged chairs in rows and collected money from the people right there.”
The victims allege that the group collected nearly ₹3,000 crore before investing the money in properties at various locations.
Suspicion reportedly grew among some members over the activities of the trust, following which complaints were made to the police and an investigation was initiated into the alleged financial fraud.
The accused were subsequently arrested and spent time in jail. According to the victims, those accused in the case, including Pastor Senthilkumar, were released on bail a few days ago.
The pastor’s subsequent return to the premises for a prayer meeting triggered further anger among the alleged victims.
After learning that Senthilkumar was conducting a prayer meeting at the venue, the victims reportedly gathered there and confronted him. The pastor allegedly left the venue through the rear entrance after seeing the crowd.
The incident led to the crowd damaging chairs and tables at the premises, following which the victims staged a protest inside the hall.
Some victims have now demanded that the bail granted to the accused be cancelled and that more stringent criminal action be taken.
One protester alleged that several families had suffered severe consequences following the alleged financial losses and demanded murder charges against the accused.
“Forty families have lost their lives. This matter needs to be treated as a murder case; murder charges must be filed against them. We don’t even want the money back—we just want their bail cancelled. Cancel their bail, charge them with murder, and detain them under the Goondas Act.”
Another woman claimed that her family had invested ₹20 lakh in the scheme and expressed concern over recovering the money. She also alleged that authorities had refused to accept complaints from some victims.
“It was me, my daughter, my in-law, and women I work with—four of us invested a total of 20 lakh rupees. Even when we try to file a complaint, they refuse to register it; they won’t even accept our Aadhaar details. So, what happens to our money?”
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