New Delhi, March 19 Security agencies have sent the mobile phones of seven arrested foreign nationals, including a self-styled US mercenary, for data extraction to uncover a larger conspiracy of using Indian ethnic groups to undermine national security, officials said on Thursday.
In addition, the social media accounts of the accused, six of whom are Ukrainian nationals, are also being examined to identify the source of funding, the mastermind of the conspiracy, and their unknown accomplices.
Acting on a specific tip-off last week, the Bureau of Immigration detained these seven individuals while they were attempting to transit through major Indian transportation hubs. They were later arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
According to an FIR filed by the NIA, 14 Ukrainians had entered India on tourist visas on separate dates and travelled to Guwahati (Assam) and then to Mizoram without the necessary Restricted Area Permit (RAP) or Protected Area Permit (PAP).
The group then entered Myanmar "illegally" to conduct a pre-scheduled training for Myanmar-based Ethnic Armed Groups (EAGs), known to support terrorist organizations operating in India in the domain of drone warfare and jamming technology.
"These EAGs are also known to be supporting some proscribed Indian insurgent groups by supplying weapons and training them, thereby affecting national security and India's interests," the FIR stated.
The seven arrested include Matthew Aaron VanDyke, a US citizen and international security analyst, who was detained at Kolkata airport. He is the founder of 'Sons of Liberty International (SOLI)' and describes himself as a veteran of the 'Libyan Revolution'.
Six Ukrainian nationals, identified as Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor, were first detained from Delhi and Lucknow airports.
All of them have been charged with engaging in unlawful activities allegedly to assist armed militias in Myanmar, which work closely with anti-India insurgent groups.
VanDyke's organization, SOLI, provides free security consulting, training, supplies, and other services to vulnerable populations to enable them to defend themselves against terrorists and insurgents. It is said to have facilitated "missions" in Ukraine, Venezuela, the Philippines, and Iraq.
Through 'Operation Nineveh Rising', SOLI aided the deployment of US military veterans to train hundreds of Assyrians (an ethnic community) to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the battlefield, according to its website.
Security agencies have now sent the seized mobile phones of these seven accused persons to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a specialized cyber security agency, for data extraction and analysis, officials said, quoting the FIR.
"It is very important to analyze the data from their mobile phones to uncover the conspiracy that was being hatched by the accused to use local ethnic groups of India to undermine India's national security," the FIR stated.
Furthering their investigation, the security agencies are questioning the accused about the route they took and to apprehend their close, unknown associates, who are still at large.
The agencies are also examining the accused's social media activities to identify their unknown accomplices, officials said.
The accused are also alleged to have imported large quantities of drones from Europe to Myanmar through India, for the use of the EAGs, they said, adding that the source of their funding and the "mastermind" are also being ascertained.
Meanwhile, the arrested individuals were produced before a court here on March 16, which remanded them in 11-day NIA custody.
The court has also ordered their medical examination after every 48 hours and allowed them to meet their respective counsels/relatives for 20 minutes on every alternate day.
All constitutional and statutory requirements were observed during the arrest, and the grounds for their arrest were communicated to them in both English and their native language, with acknowledgement received, officials said.
Meanwhile, the embassy of Ukraine here on Thursday took note of media reports indicating that the initiation of action in the case was "prompted" by information provided by the Russian side.
In a statement, the mission expressed its "serious concern" over what it claimed as the "presence of circumstances that point to a possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature of this case, as evidenced, in particular, by the facts known at this stage".
"Ukraine firmly rejects any insinuations regarding the possible involvement of the Ukrainian state in supporting terrorist activities," it said.
Instead, Ukraine consistently advocates for strengthening security, trust, and cooperation with India as an influential and friendly state, it added.
"Instead, it is Russia, as an aggressor state, that seeks under every circumstance to drive a wedge between friendly countries – Ukraine and India," the embassy alleged.
The issue of foreigners visiting Mizoram and then leaving the state unnoticed was also raised by Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma.
He had in March last year said that nearly 2,000 foreigners visited Mizoram between June and December 2024, and many of them did not come as tourists.
Lalduhoma said Mizoram was being secretly used as a transit route by foreigners travelling to Myanmar, which has become a grave concern for the Centre.
He had alleged that some foreigners even crossed the Indo-Myanmar border and entered Chin Hills in the neighbouring country to give military training to insurgent groups there.
Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmar.
The Centre has already decided to fence the entire 1,643-km Indo-Myanmar border, which runs through Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland.
Meanwhile, the NIA maintains that the case is in the initial stages of investigation and will not be able to share details at this stage.
"Details will be shared at an appropriate time," an NIA spokesperson said.