US citizen in Myanmar arms training case gets bail extension
What's the story
United States citizen Matthew Aaron VanDyke appeared before the Rouse Avenue National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Delhi on Friday. He returned from the US after he was permitted to visit his family for a month. The court extended the permission to stay outside India for VanDyke and the six other foreign nationals until February 24, 2027. The NIA had arrested VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals for allegedly training ethnic armed groups in Myanmar in drone warfare and related operations.
Training allegations
Charges under Immigration and Foreigners Act
The charges were instead filed under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, with Sections 21 and 23 invoked in the court order granting default bail.
After his release on bail, VanDyke paid ₹5.5 lakh in compounding charges to settle alleged immigration violations.
The court had allowed him to travel abroad on the condition that he would return and appear before it.
Ongoing probe
NIA probing local facilitators' role
VanDyke was granted default bail on September 18, 2026, after the NIA filed an incomplete chargesheet on September 8.
However, the NIA has stated that its investigation into possible UAPA offenses is still underway. The agency is looking into the role of local facilitators who may have helped the accused operate in the region.
Reports suggest that Russia provided initial intelligence, leading to a three-month surveillance operation before arrests were made.
Pending return
Six Ukrainian nationals yet to return
While VanDyke complied with court orders, the six Ukrainian nationals, Maksym Honcharuk, Petro Hubra, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Taras Slyviak, and Viktor Kaminskyi, have not returned to India.
The NIA had alleged that they entered India on tourist visas and illegally crossed into Myanmar to train ethnic armed groups there.
The agency is probing whether a wider network exists beyond those arrested.