Northeast States on alert after arrest of 7 foreigners
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued fresh directives to the Governments of Mizoram, Nagaland, and Manipur, the three northeastern States bordering Myanmar, instructing strict and continuous monitoring of all foreigners visiting or residing in the region.
The move follows the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) arrest of six Ukrainian nationals and one American, accused of using India as a transit hub to smuggle European-sourced drones and provide training for terror activities targeting the country. “Central security agencies were closely monitoring these individuals. The NIA arrested them after gathering evidence of waging war against India,” sources said.
A senior Home Ministry official confirmed that the alert was triggered by intelligence inputs pointing to suspicious foreign activity in the sensitive border region. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) has been directed to track movements meticulously and take legal action as required.
Under existing rules, foreigners must obtain a Restricted Area Permit (RAP) to enter these protected States. The permit specifies authorised entry points, places of residence, and duration of stay; violations are treated as serious offences.
The NIA investigation revealed that the seven arrested — American national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke and Ukrainians Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor — arrived in India in February 2026 on valid tourist visas but entered Mizoram without RAPs. Investigators found that 14 Ukrainians had entered India on different dates to avoid suspicion, travelling via Guwahati to Mizoram and crossing illegally into Myanmar.
Once in Myanmar, the group allegedly met Ethnic Armed Groups (EAOs) hostile to India, supplying drones and providing weapons, drone warfare training, jamming technology, and tactical support to banned terrorist organisations inside India.
All seven have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), including Section 18, and other laws. They were arrested on March 13, 2026, from Delhi, Lucknow, and Kolkata airports, and remanded in NIA custody until March 27 for intensive interrogation.
Officials warn that the case exposes the growing threat of foreign mercenaries using India’s northeastern States as launch pads for cross-border terror operations and proxy warfare. The probe is expanding to trace the full network, funding sources, and additional accomplices. Interrogations indicate coordination with an external agency.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said in the State assembly that the arrests underscore the seriousness of foreigners using Mizoram as a transit route, prompting the re-imposition of the Protected Area Permit. India’s States bordering China, Pakistan, and Myanmar-including Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand-are designated protected areas, with central security agencies maintaining constant vigilance to safeguard internal and external security.
