New Delhi

A Special court of the National Investigation Agency in the national capital has extended the custody of seven foreign nationals accused of terror-related activities for 10 more days.

The accused include Matthew Aaron Van Dyke and six Ukrainian nationals—Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim, and Kaminskyi Viktor—who were produced before Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma at the agency’s headquarters.

The court granted the extension after the probe agency sought additional time to further investigate the case. Proceedings were conducted at the NIA headquarters due to security concerns.

According to the NIA, the accused were allegedly involved in supporting ethnic armed groups in Myanmar by supplying weapons, drone technology, and other terrorist hardware, as well as providing training. The agency has invoked Section 18 (terror conspiracy) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Investigators told the court that the accused had links with proscribed insurgent groups operating in India and that their activities posed a serious threat to national security. The agency also informed the court that names of additional Indian and foreign suspects have emerged during the probe.

Earlier, while granting initial remand, the court observed that the FIR clearly indicated allegations affecting India’s security interests, justifying the application of anti-terror provisions.

The NIA further alleged that the accused entered India on valid visas but later travelled to protected areas such as Mizoram before crossing into Myanmar, where they allegedly established contact with ethnic war groups. They are also suspected to have transported a large consignment of drones from Europe via India for use in insurgent activities.

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The accused were apprehended from multiple locations, including Delhi, Lucknow, and Kolkata. The agency maintains that further custodial interrogation is essential to uncover the full extent of the network and its operations.