India’s anti-terror agency has arrested seven foreign nationals, including one American and six Ukrainian citizens, over allegations they were involved in planning terror activities targeting India. The arrests followed a coordinated operation by multiple teams of the National Investigation Agency, or NIA, last week under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with other relevant legal provisions.
According to the case details, an FIR was filed on Friday evening after the Bureau of Immigration detained the accused at several airports. The US national was stopped at Kolkata airport, while three Ukrainians each were detained at airports in Lucknow and Delhi. The Indian Express, citing a source, reported that all seven had entered India on valid visas but later travelled into Mizoram without the mandatory Restricted Area Permit.
Investigators allege the group moved from Mizoram into Myanmar, where they are believed to have met ethnic groups hostile to India. “From there, they crossed into Myanmar, where they reportedly met ethnic groups hostile to India. Investigations also uncovered that multiple consignments of drones from Europe were delivered by them in Mizoram,” the source said, the Indian Express reported.
The NIA has told the court that the accused were involved in illegally transporting large consignments of drones from Europe to Myanmar through India. According to the agency, the shipments were meant for ethnic armed groups, which were also allegedly helping banned Indian insurgent outfits by supplying weapons, other terror equipment and training.
After being brought to Delhi, the accused were presented before a duty magistrate on Saturday and initially remanded to three days in custody. On Monday, the court extended their custody until March 27, adding 11 more days for questioning.
“The aspects of collection of evidence, unearthing criminal conspiracy, identification of co-accused persons and analysis of mobile data of accused persons, are such that police custody of accused persons is justified,” Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma of Patiala House Court said in his order.
Represented by SPP Rahul Tyagi, PP Anil Dabas, and advocates Jatin and Amit Rohilla, the NIA argued for more time to gather evidence and identify others linked to the case. The agency told the court it plans to map the routes used by the accused, examine mobile data, trace funding sources, and analyze social media accounts to identify more associates. The investigation is continuing, with officials focused on whether the case points to a broader cross-border terror network.
