US national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke has paid Rs 5.5 lakh to compound offences under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, days after securing default bail in a case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over alleged training activities in Myanmar, according to The Statesman.
The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) passed an order after Van Dyke deposited the amount for offences under Sections 21 and 23 of the Act. His lawyers are preparing to approach the Special NIA Court at Rouse Avenue with a discharge application, according to the report.
The immigration-related offences are included in the chargesheet already filed by the NIA, while the agency’s investigation into alleged offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) remains underway.
Van Dyke is represented by advocates Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour. He was granted default bail by Special NIA Judge Prashant Sharma after the court found that the agency had not completed its investigation into the alleged UAPA offences within the statutory period.
The NIA filed its chargesheet on September 8, invoking Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, while informing the court that its investigation into the alleged UAPA offences was continuing. The court described the immigration chargesheet as “piecemeal” and held that an incomplete chargesheet could not be used to defeat an accused’s statutory right to default bail.
Van Dyke was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with a surety of the same amount. The court also directed him to remain in Delhi and join the investigation whenever required.
The case stems from allegations surrounding a training camp in Myanmar. Van Dyke was arrested by the NIA on March 13, 2026, and the case was initially registered under Section 18 of the UAPA. The NIA has maintained that its investigation into the alleged terror-related offences has not been dropped.
According to an AFP report carried by several news outlets, Van Dyke was among seven foreign nationals, six Ukrainians and one American who were allegedly involved in crossing into Myanmar to train armed groups. All India Radio reported that the seven had allegedly entered Mizoram without an official permit before crossing from the state into neighbouring Myanmar.
The seven were allegedly involved in training ethnic armed groups in Myanmar that were described as being associated with insurgent groups in India. They were also suspected of illegally transporting a large consignment of drones from Europe into India for use in Myanmar, according to AIR.
After returning to India, the six Ukrainians were arrested in Delhi and Lucknow, while Van Dyke was arrested in Kolkata, according to the AFP report. The Indian Express reported that they had been charged with conspiring to commit terrorist acts against the Indian state.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry subsequently said there were, at that stage, no proven facts confirming the involvement of its citizens in illegal activities in India or Myanmar, and sought unimpeded consular access to the detained Ukrainians.
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