LUCKMOW: A 33-year-old United States citizen was arrested by police in Maharajganj district for allegedly overstaying his visa and remaining in India beyond the permitted period. Intelligence agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Local Intelligence Unit (LIU), are also expected to question the foreign national as part of the verification process, police sources said.The arrest was made on May 30 by a team from Farenda police station during a checking and surveillance operation in the Phulwariya area. The police team, led by sub-inspector Arun Kumar along with SI Amit Maurya and constables Deepak Yadav and Amresh Yadav, was conducting checks of suspicious persons and vehicles when it received information about a foreign national standing near Chhatri Bridge on the Maharajganj-Farenda road without valid travel documents.Acting on the tip-off, the police team reached the spot and intercepted the individual. During questioning and document verification, he identified himself as Travis Anthony Phelan, a resident of Missouri, United States.Police said Phelan was carrying a valid American passport, but scrutiny of his travel documents revealed that the validity of his Indian visa had expired. During interrogation, he allegedly told police that he had arrived in Hyderabad in August 2025 and had been staying there since then.According to investigators, the American national claimed that he was attempting to travel to Nepal and had mistakenly disembarked near Chhatri Bridge in Maharajganj, believing he had reached the Nepal border. However, police found that he had continued to stay in India despite the expiry of his authorised visa period.A search of his belongings led to the recovery of his passport, an identification card, and an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) linked to an e-Tourist Visa issued on July 24, 2025. The visa conditions stipulated that a foreign tourist could not stay in India for more than 180 days during a calendar year and that continuous stay on each entry should not exceed 180 days.Police officials said preliminary findings indicate that the accused had overstayed his visa and was attempting to move towards Nepal after the expiry of his authorised stay. He was taken into custody at around 5.35 pm and booked under Section 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.The recovered passport, identification card and visa documents were seized and sealed as evidence. A bag containing clothes was also taken into police custody and deposited in the malkhana.Sources said the case has been communicated to immigration authorities and intelligence agencies. The IB and LIU are expected to question the US national to verify his travel history, movements within India, purpose of stay, and circumstances leading to his presence near the Indo-Nepal border.Police said all arrest procedures were carried out in accordance with Supreme Court and Human Rights Commission guidelines. Since the accused could not understand Hindi, the contents of the arrest and recovery memo were translated and explained to him in English using digital translation tools, and a copy of the documents was provided to him.Further investigation is underway.
