7 foreigners caught plotting drone terror
Seven foreign nationals — six Ukrainian citizens and one US national — have been arrested in India for allegedly plotting terror activities using drones supplied from Europe. The accused reportedly entered India on tourist visas and travelled to Mizoram without the mandatory Restricted Area Permit (RAP) before crossing into Myanmar, where they allegedly met ethnic armed groups and delivered multiple consignments of drones.
The six Ukrainians have been identified as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor. The US national involved has been named as Matthew Aaron Van Dyke.
A spokesperson for the US embassy said, “We are aware of the situation. For privacy reasons, we cannot comment on cases involving US citizens.” Ukraine has formally protested the detention of its six nationals, demanding “unimpeded consular access.” The Press Service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Embassy of Ukraine in India did not receive prior official notification of the detentions.
“The Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of India, Dr. Oleksandr Polishchuk, held a meeting with Secretary (West) of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Sibi George, and handed over an official note of protest demanding the immediate release of the Ukrainian citizens and access to them. The Embassy is also in contact with other Indian authorities to clarify all circumstances of the detention,” the statement said.
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the group was planning terror attacks, raising concerns over cross-border threats. On March 13, the US national was detained by the Bureau of Immigration at Kolkata airport, while the six Ukrainians were detained at Lucknow and Delhi airports. All seven were subsequently taken into NIA custody and charged under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other relevant sections.
“A probe has revealed that the arrested Ukrainian nationals were part of a 14-member group who had entered India on tourist visas on separate dates. They are being interrogated to ascertain the whereabouts of their seven associates and unearth the entire conspiracy,” an NIA official said.
The official added that after arriving in India, the suspects flew to Guwahati before travelling to Mizoram without RAP, and allegedly crossed into Myanmar for “pre-scheduled training for Myanmar-based Ethnic Armed Groups (EAGs).” They are also accused of transporting multiple consignments of drones from Europe.
“These EAGs are known to support insurgent organisations operating in India, particularly in drone warfare, operations, assembly, and jamming technology,” the NIA stated.
The suspects were produced before a Delhi court on Monday and remanded to NIA custody until March 27. Sources said they were involved in illegally transporting drones from Europe to Myanmar to aid ethnic armed groups, which in turn supply weapons, training, and terror equipment to banned Indian insurgent outfits.
“Their sustained interrogation is underway to trace the routes used by the accused, examine mobile data to identify funding sources, and track down other co-accused persons,” the NIA official said. “The Myanmar-based groups support proscribed Indian insurgent groups and pose a serious threat to India’s national security.”
