Ex-cop Sergei Torop who has led a cult for over 30 years with claims that he is the reincarnation of Jesus was arrested Tuesday on charges of running an illegal religious organization.
Known to his followers as Vissarion Christ the Teacher, he has led the Church of the Last Testament since 1991. His cult, which evidently uses Christian jargon to reiterate his claims of being Jesus reincarnated, is located deep in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.
Russian authorities arrested a former police officer who claims to be the #reincarnation of #Jesus and has run a cult based in the depths of Siberia for the past 30 yrs. Helicopters and armed officers stormed the communities run by Sergei Torop, known as Vissarion #NewsBurstLive pic.twitter.com/0BEj9FDeT1
— 𝔻𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 ℕ𝕖𝕨𝕤 🔅 (@2016Disclosure) September 22, 2020
The Church of the Last Testament is now under investigation following allegations that Torop and two of his helpers extorted money from the cult’s followers, and inflicted physical and psychological harm on them. Shocking, indeed.
Especially when you consider his family life: the 59-year-old has six children from two marriages, and following a divorce from his first wife, he proceeded to marry a 19-year-old who he was living with since she was seven. Behold, a true beacon of morality:
To further affirm his status as a not very nice human being, he apparently “lives in a comfortable chalet while his followers reside in wooden huts in one of Russia’s coldest regions with temperatures sinking to minus 50C (122F) in winter,” according to The Daily Mail.
On the bright side, reports suggest he may face up to 12 years in jail if he is convicted on charges of using “psychological violence” to cause “serious harm” to his followers’ health.
His arrest was preceded by a major military operation, where Torop and his aides Vadim Redkin and Vladimir Vedernikov were arrested and taken away in helicopters. Check out some clips from the raid below and see for yourself:
Major military-style operation in Siberia with dozens of armed men storming the Sun City, one of the communities of the cult leader Vissarion. Former traffic policeman Sergei Torop, known as Vissarion, his aide Vadim Redkin were reportedly detained & flown away under armed guard pic.twitter.com/QsuoxUIWd8
— The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) September 22, 2020
Here’s to hoping he gets what he’s had coming for decades now!
