US National VanDyke Released From Tihar Jail, Allowed To Travel Home For One Month
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
American national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, who was among seven foreign nationals arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), walked out of Delhi’s Tihar jail on Thursday, September 24, after a court allowed him to travel to the United States for a month to meet his family.
A Ukrainian national was also released to travel to Ukraine under the court’s permission. The two, along with five other Ukrainian nationals being investigated by the NIA, were allowed to travel to their respective countries subject to bail conditions and other formalities.
NIA Probing Alleged Drone-Warfare Training Camp
The NIA is investigating the alleged involvement of the seven foreign nationals in a drone-warfare training camp linked to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar.
Visuals of VanDyke walking out of Tihar jail on Thursday night were published by news agency ANI.
The six Ukrainian nationals were granted bail by a special NIA court in Delhi on Wednesday on personal bonds and cash deposits of ₹1 lakh each.
Ukrainian Nationals Face Immigration Offences
The court also discharged the six Ukrainians under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, after taking note of the compounding of the offences by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
The FRRO had earlier compounded the offences by imposing a ₹5.5 lakh fine on each.
Ukrainian nationals Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak and Ivan Sukmanovskyi were arrested at Lucknow airport on March 13. Three others — Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi — were arrested at Delhi airport on the same day.
All seven accused were granted default bail earlier this month.
Court Modifies VanDyke’s Bail Conditions
On September 18, the court granted VanDyke default bail on a ₹1 lakh bond and ₹1 lakh surety.
He subsequently approached the court seeking permission to travel to the US. On September 23, the NIA court modified the conditions attached to his bail order, allowing him to travel.
The latest order enabled VanDyke to leave Tihar jail on Thursday and travel home for a month, subject to the conditions imposed by the court.
NIA Chargesheet Invokes Immigration Law
The NIA had initially registered the case against the seven foreigners under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) along with provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The agency investigated the case under the anti-terror law for 180 days after obtaining an extension from the court.
However, in its first chargesheet filed on September 8, the NIA invoked provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act while stating that its UAPA investigation was continuing.
The agency said the UAPA probe had been kept pending and that a supplementary chargesheet could be filed if a relevant offence was established.
Probe Into Alleged Drone Training
The NIA had told the court that the accused were being investigated in connection with an alleged wider conspiracy involving assistance to ethnic armed groups in India and Myanmar and the provision of drone training.
According to investigators, the accused allegedly entered Myanmar through Mizoram without valid travel documents and participated in a pre-scheduled training programme involving drone warfare, drone operations, assembly and jamming technology for Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups fighting the country’s military junta.
The agency said further investigation was required, particularly in connection with the import and recovery of a large quantity of drones and accessories through India.
