NIA probes drone consignments linked to US national, six Ukrainians

Officials reported they trained ethnic armed groups in drone warfare after illegally crossing into India.

Updated on: Sep 10, 2026, 13:22:58 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting an investigation into the consignments of drones and related equipment seized in its probe against the US national, Mathew VanDyke and six Ukrainians, who were allegedly funded by a commander of a Myanmar-based rebel group, people familiar with the development said.

A charge sheet was filed on Tuesday against VanDyke and six Ukrainians, arrested on March 13 soon after they arrived from Myanmar. (Representational/REUTERS)

Officials said these consignments were intercepted by the Customs authorities in Delhi.

A charge sheet was filed on Tuesday against VanDyke and six Ukrainians, arrested on March 13 soon after they arrived from Myanmar. It is alleged that they had arrived in India in December 2025 on valid travel documents, after which they crossed the Indo-Myanmar border illegally to reach Victoria Camp in Myanmar.

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“For nearly three months, they imparted training in drone warfare, drone operations, assembly and jamming technology to the members of Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups, including the CNF and the KIA,” said an officer.

The agency reiterated on Wednesday that its probe has, so far, not revealed any conspiracy against India and that it has kept its probe under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act open.

NIA’s spokesperson didn’t respond to HT’s queries.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

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