Former traffic officer Sergei Torop, AKA Vissarion, arrested in special operation in Siberia
Russian authorities have mounted a special operation to arrest a former traffic police officer who claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus and has run a cult based in the depths of Siberia for the past three decades.
Helicopters and armed officers stormed communities run by Sergei Torop, known to his followers as Vissarion, and arrested the leader and two of his aides. Russia’s investigative committee said it would charge him with organising an illegal religious organisation, alleging that the cult extorted money from followers and subjected them to emotional abuse.
