A court in Delhi has ruled to keep six Ukrainian citizens and one US citizen in custody for 11 days. The detainees will remain under the supervision of the National Investigation Agency of India (NIA) until March 27 for further investigation.
This is reported by Finway
Circumstances of the Arrest and Charges
Indian law enforcement has charged the detainees with illegal border crossing into the state of Mizoram, as well as subsequent entry into Myanmar. The investigation claims that their actions aimed to establish contacts and conduct training for ethnic groups linked to Indian insurgent formations.
According to media reports, three Ukrainians were arrested in Delhi, another three in Lucknow, and the US citizen in Kolkata. The court hearing regarding the selection of a preventive measure was held behind closed doors. The National Investigation Agency requested 15 days for custody, but the court granted the request only partially.
Versions of the Parties and Official Reactions
NIA investigators propose a version in which the detainees arrived in India on tourist visas and then illegally crossed the guarded border into Mizoram, reaching Myanmar. There, according to the agency, they underwent training and were involved in training ethnic armed groups with links to Indian insurgents. There are also reports of a significant shipment of drones from Europe to India.
“The Ministry of Defense opposes custody.”
The defense of the accused, represented by senior lawyer Pramod Kumar Dubey and lawyer Atul Sehgal, contests the NIA’s request for custody. There has been no official response from the Ukrainian embassy in India or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding the arrest of Ukrainian citizens at this time.
Earlier, it was reported that Russian occupation forces used 120 mm caliber mines produced in Myanmar against the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Following the military coup, the Russian Federation has intensified military cooperation with Myanmar.