Sergei Torop, 64, lost his job as a traffic cop before founding the Church of the Last Testament in 1991 and claiming to be ...

Former traffic cop Sergei Torop commanded followers to stop using money while extracting funds from them through ...

Sergei Torop, 64, lost his job as a traffic officer and founded the Church of the Last Testament in 1991 after experiencing a ...

MOSCOW: Sergey Torop, a Russian religious cult leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, was recently ...

Sergei Torop, a Russian sect leader claiming to be Jesus reincarnated, received a 12-year prison sentence for harming followers' health and finances. Known as 'Vissarion,' he founded a religious sect ...

This image from August 18, 2009 shows Russian sect leader Sergei Torop known as "Vissarion", in the remote village of Petropavlovka, Krasnoyarsk region.

Vissarion and his followers believe the end of the world is coming and their Siberian community is the ark of salvation. Such sects have proliferated in Russia’s wilderness.

Vissarion, who normally dons a long white cloak and sports long hair and a beard, lives with his followers in Petropavlovka, or what he calls his “Siberian utopia,” The Guardian reported.

Vissarion's followers are strict vegetarians and they don't smoke or drink. The houses and churches are built from wood by hand and most of the energy comes from windmills and solar panels.

"Vissarion the Teacher," or "Jesus of Siberia," Russian ex-traffic cop Sergei Torop meets followers in the remote village of Petropavlovka, in Russia's Siberia region, August 18, 2009.