Northeast · NIA case
US national VanDyke returns to Delhi in NIA Myanmar case, seeks seized belongings
Accused of training Myanmar armed groups, he and six Ukrainians face immigration charges, not terror charges. All seven may stay abroad till February
Matthew VanDyke, the US national accused in a National Investigation Agency (NIA) case over alleged training of armed groups in Myanmar, flew back to Delhi on Friday, 23 October 2026, and asked a court to return his belongings seized by the agency.
He appeared in person before the special NIA court at Rouse Avenue after a month in the United States, The Indian Express reported, and filed an application for the release of his personal articles. The court has yet to hear it.
The six Ukrainians accused alongside him did not return. They had sought more time abroad, and joined the hearing by video conference, citing health concerns, according to The Hindu. The court has now allowed all seven to stay outside India until 24 February 2027.
The case so far
The NIA arrested the seven in March. VanDyke was detained at Kolkata airport on 13 March, and three of the Ukrainians at Delhi airport the same day. The six Ukrainian nationals are Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi.
The agency alleges that the group entered a protected area in Mizoram without the required permits and crossed into Myanmar. There, it says, they were to train Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups in drone warfare, drone assembly and jamming, before returning to India around 5 March, Hindustan Times reported.
In September, the NIA told the court the seven had travelled through Mizoram and conducted training on earlier occasions too, The Statesman reported.
A terror case without terror charges
The case was registered as a terror conspiracy. But when the NIA filed its charge sheet on 8 September, the last day of the 180-day deadline, it did not invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The accused were charged only under the immigration law, sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, which cover illegal entry, stay and movement.
That opened the door to bail. On 18 September, Special Judge Prashant Sharma granted VanDyke default bail on a ₹1 lakh bond and surety. The Ukrainians were also bailed, and in late September the court let all seven leave Tihar Jail to visit their families for a month, on condition they returned by 23 October.
Why it matters
The case touches one of India's most sensitive frontiers. Mizoram borders Myanmar, where ethnic armed groups have fought the military for years, and drone warfare is at the heart of the allegations. Foreign nationals allegedly passing through India's Northeast to train armed groups across the border raises hard questions about permits, monitoring and border control.
The investigation is not over, and the NIA has said its probe continues. But the case so far shows a gap between how it was framed and what has been charged. VanDyke's return, and his bid to recover his seized belongings, keeps the focus on whether the agency can make its larger conspiracy allegations stand up in court.
For now, the seven are free to stay abroad until 24 February 2027.