Six arrested Ukrainian nationals and a US citizen were part of a group that entered India on tourist visas and were allegedly plotting terror activities using drones from Europe, sources in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Tuesday.
The accused had travelled to Mizoram without the mandatory restricted area permit, crossed illegally into Myanmar and met ethnic armed groups and delivered multiple consignments of drones from Europe via India. The NIA has alleged that the group was planning terror attacks, with their activities raising concerns of cross-border threats.
A US national was detained by the immigration bureau at Calcutta airport, and six Ukrainians were detained at Lucknow and Delhi airports on March 13. All of them were later taken into custody by the NIA and have been charged under Section 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with other relevant sections.
"A probe has revealed that the arrested Ukrainian nationals were part of a 14-member group that had entered India on tourist visas on separate dates. They are being interrogated to ascertain the whereabouts of their seven associates and unearth the entire conspiracy,” an NIA official said.
According to him, the arrested US national was also part of the same group.
Ukraine has lodged an official protest with the external affairs ministry, demanding the immediate release of its citizens and access to them.
A spokesperson for the US embassy said: “We are aware of the situation. For privacy reasons, we cannot comment on cases involving US citizens.”