The agency has not invoked India’s anti-terror law in its latest chargesheet, but says its wider investigation remains open
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against a US citizen and six Ukrainian nationals over alleged violations of immigration rules, while keeping its investigation into suspected terror links open.
The seven accused include US citizen Matthew Aaron Van Dyke and Ukrainian nationals Viktor Kaminskyi, Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv and Maksim Honcharuk. They were arrested on March 13 after being intercepted at airports in Kolkata, Delhi and Lucknow.
According to the NIA, the group entered India with valid travel documents but travelled to Mizoram without the required Protected Area Permit or other necessary authorisation. The agency has also alleged that they crossed into Myanmar and had links with ethnic armed groups there.
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The latest chargesheet, filed before a special court in Delhi, invokes Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025
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These provisions relate to unlawful entry, stay and movement in the country
Significantly, the NIA has not included charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), despite initially registering the case under the stringent anti-terror legislation.
The agency had earlier alleged that the group was involved in providing training related to drones, including drone operations, assembly and jamming technology, to armed groups in Myanmar. Those allegations remain part of the wider investigation.
NIA Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi told the court that the probe into possible UAPA offences is continuing. A supplementary chargesheet could be filed if further investigation establishes evidence of offences under the anti-terror law.
The seven accused were initially granted 11 days of NIA custody before being remanded to judicial custody. The special court is expected to consider the latest chargesheet on October 1.
