- September 9, 2026
NIA Chargesheets Van Dyke, 6 Others In Terror Link Case; UAPA Charges Not Invoked
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The accused have instead been chargesheeted under Sections 21 and 23 of Immigration and Foreigners Act for alleged violations related to their entry, stay and movement in India.
New Delhi: A man walks past the emblem of National Investigation agency (NIA) at its office, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (PTI Photo) (PTI11_19_2025_000415B)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday filed a chargesheet against United States national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke and six Ukrainian nationals in a case involving alleged links with ethnic armed groups, but has not invoked charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in its latest filing.
The seven accused have instead been chargesheeted under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act for alleged violations related to their entry, stay and movement in India.
The NIA has, however, sought permission to continue its investigation into possible offences under the anti-terror law.
The chargesheet, filed before Special Judge Prashant Sharma, states that the probe into the UAPA angle is still underway and that more time is required to establish the “true and complete facts” of the alleged offences.
“A substantial part of the further investigation with respect to the offences committed under UA(P) Act, 1967 has been completed,” it said.
The agency said the investigation was continuing, particularly in view of the recovery of a large quantity of drones and accessories and the seizure of numerous digital devices, whose examination is still in progress.
“Further investigation is undergoing and more time is required to ascertain and verify the true and complete facts about the commission of offences under UA(P)A in view of import and recovery of huge quantity of drones and accessories through India and seizure of huge number of digital devices whose scrutiny is underway,” it added.
According to the NIA, the ongoing probe could establish whether the accused were involved in activities threatening India’s unity, integrity, security or sovereignty.
The agency said the investigation may also shed light on their alleged links with insurgent groups operating in India’s northeastern states and whether the accused were part of a larger conspiracy.
“During the investigation, it has been revealed that accused Van Dyke and other arrested Ukrainian nationals visited India in December 2025 after obtaining a tourist visa and thereafter crossed the Myanmar border to reach Victoria Camp, Myanmar for providing training to Ethnic Armed Groups (EAGs) of Myanmar,” the chargesheet said.
The NIA alleged that the accused had planned their movements between India and Myanmar in a manner intended to avoid suspicion. It further alleged that they entered Myanmar through Mizoram without the required Protected Area Permit and later returned to India through an unauthorised route, allegedly violating the conditions of their Indian visas.
“Investigation also revealed that the accused persons entered Myanmar illegally via Mizoram without any valid travel documents to conduct pre-scheduled training on drone warfare, drone operation, assembly and jamming technology to Ethnic Arms Groups in Myanmar in December 2025 and entered India illegally through an unauthorised port of entry in March 2026, thereby violating the condition of the visa issued to them by the Indian Government,” the chargesheet said.
The seven accused are therefore facing prosecution under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act. The NIA has asked the court to take cognisance of these offences while allowing the investigation into the wider alleged conspiracy to continue.
“Further investigation under 193(9) BNSS may be allowed to be continued in order to unearth all the aspects of the larger conspiracy in the instant case against the arrested accused persons and others in the instant case,” the chargesheet said.
Van Dyke was arrested at Kolkata airport, while Ukrainian nationals Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak and Ivan Sukmanovskyi were arrested at Lucknow airport on March 13. Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi were arrested at Delhi airport on the same day.
The NIA had initially registered the case under Section 18 of the UAPA, which deals with conspiracy, along with provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The agency had earlier told the court that it was probing allegations of a wider terror conspiracy involving ethnic armed groups in India and Myanmar, including alleged drone warfare training.
The court has kept the chargesheet for consideration on the question of taking cognisance on October 1. The NIA’s further investigation into the UAPA angle remains pending.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Matthew Van Dyke and six Ukrainian nationals were chargesheeted by the NIA under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act for alleged violations related to their entry, stay, and movement in India. They are accused of entering India on tourist visas, crossing into Myanmar illegally to provide drone warfare training to Ethnic Armed Groups, and then re-entering India unlawfully.
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Prisha is the Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than 10 years of experience in national and international news. She specialises in editorial leadership, sharp news judgment, and high-impact st…Read More
Delhi, India, India
September 09, 2026, 09:13 IST
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