Delhi court allows US national, six Ukrainians in NIA arms case to remain abroad till February
New Delhi: A Delhi court has permitted United States citizen Matthew VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals, arrested in a case relating to alleged arms training and supply to armed groups in Myanmar, to remain outside India until February, Hindustan Times reported.
The order came after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) told the court that it required additional time to complete its investigation into the case.
The seven foreign nationals were arrested in March over allegations that they had links with ethnic armed groups in Myanmar hostile to India. They had earlier been allowed by the court to travel to their home countries for a month, subject to their rejoining the investigation on return.
While VanDyke appeared before the court in person on Friday, the six Ukrainians joined the proceedings through video conferencing. Their counsel informed the court that they were unwell, following which the court extended the permission for them to stay abroad.
According to the NIA, the accused were allegedly involved in supplying weapons and military equipment to ethnic armed groups operating in Myanmar and providing them with training. VanDyke heads Sons of Liberty International, a US-based organisation that says it offers security consulting, training and weapons supplies to vulnerable communities.
The agency filed a chargesheet against the seven in September under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, accusing them of illegally entering, staying and moving within India. Although they were initially arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the chargesheet limited the allegations to violations of immigration provisions.
Investigators alleged that the accused entered India on valid visas but later travelled to Mizoram without the mandatory restricted area permit. They were also accused of crossing into Myanmar and meeting ethnic armed groups hostile to India. Officials further claimed that the group received drone deliveries from Europe while in Mizoram.
The seven were reportedly arrested in Delhi, Kolkata and Lucknow while attempting to leave the country.
VanDyke was granted default bail on September 18, while the six Ukrainians received similar relief five days later. Default bail is granted when an investigating agency fails to complete its probe and file a chargesheet within the statutory period while an accused remains in custody.