Kolkata: Fresh details emerging from the probe into the arrest of US national Aaron Van Dyke have revealed that he was detained at Kolkata airport for nearly two days before being formally handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), as authorities pieced together his suspected cross-border activities and links with insurgent groups.According to inputs shared by Bidhannagar Police and airport immigration officials with the NIA, Van Dyke was intercepted on March 12 moments before boarding a FlyDubai flight FZ 462 to Dubai, in what officials described as a “last-minute intervention” based on intelligence alerts.“His luggage had already been checked in and loaded onto the aircraft. He had cleared immigration and was about to depart when he was stopped,” a senior official said.From Dubai, Van Dyke had planned to take a flight (FZ 1839) to Warsaw, Poland. Instead, he was escorted to an immigration holding facility within Kolkata airport, where he remained under sustained interrogation for two days.During this period, officials examined his travel trail, contacts and suspected movements across conflict zones. “After preliminary interrogation, the NIA took him into custody on March 14 for further investigation,” the official added.Investigators have since reconstructed parts of his movements within India. After arriving from Delhi alongside a group of Ukrainian nationals, Van Dyke travelled to Kolkata and then proceeded to Mizoram. From there, he allegedly crossed the international border into Myanmar without completing mandatory formalities required for foreign nationals visiting sensitive northeastern states.Under existing regulations, foreigners entering border states such as Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur must register with the local Foreigners Registration Office within 24 hours. Officials said Van Dyke bypassed these requirements.Sources indicated that during his time in Myanmar’s Chin state, Van Dyke is suspected to have trained anti-junta insurgent groups in weapon handling and advanced drone operations. Investigators believe the nature of this training, particularly involving military-grade drone capabilities, poses significant security concerns for India.Security agencies are now assessing the broader implications of these activities. Intelligence inputs suggest that several insurgent outfits operating along the India-Myanmar border maintain links with extremist groups in India’s Northeast. Officials warned that the introduction of advanced drone technology into this ecosystem could sharply escalate the operational capabilities of such groups.On March 13, three Ukrainian war veterans — Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak and Ivan Sukmanovskyi — were detained by Bureau of Immigration officials at Lucknow airport and subsequently handed over to the NIA. They are believed to have provided key leads about Van Dyke’s activities. Three more Ukrainians — Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim and Kaminskyi Viktor — were held in Delhi as part of the probe.NIA has stated that the trio held in Lucknow entered India from the UAE on tourist visas last Dec before travelling to Mizoram without the mandatory restricted-area permits. During their stay, they are suspected to have crossed into Myanmar and established contacts with armed groups considered hostile to India.
