Matthew VanDyke spotted at Delhi court after returning from US in Myanmar drone-training case
Matthew VanDyke spotted at Delhi court. (Image courtesy: X/@Matt_VanDyke)
New Delhi: The United States national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, an accused in the Myanmar drone-training case, was seen entering special NIA court 03 (formed under the NIA Act, 2008) at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue courts on Friday. He appeared before special NIA judge, Prashant Sharma, after returning from the United States, where he had travelled to meet his family following a court order permitting a monthlong visit.
VanDyke was granted default bail on September 18 after the court found that the National Investigation Agency had filed a chargesheet covering immigration offences while its investigation into the alleged offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) remained incomplete.
The court had also allowed six Ukrainian nationals facing investigation in the same case to travel to Ukraine for one month. All seven accused were dij byrected to return to India after their permitted visits and comply with conditions imposed by the court.
The NIA’s investigation into the alleged UAPA offences remains ongoing. The agency has maintained that further investigation could lead to a supplementary chargesheet.
Why was Matthew VanDyke arrested?
VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals, Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim alias Maksym and Kaminskyi Viktor, were arrested in March 2026 over allegations of providing drone warfare training to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar.
The foreign nationals are accused of entering Mizoram without the necessary permits and traveling to Myanmar, where they were allegedly training ethnic armed groups in drone-related issues. The case was initially booked under Section 18 of UAPA for alleged conspiracy to indulge in unlawful activities.
Later, NIA filed a chargesheet under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 and continued investigation in the alleged UAPA offenses.
The court held that filing a chargesheet limited to the immigration offences did not extinguish the accused’s right to seek default bail when the investigation into the original UAPA allegations remained incomplete within the prescribed period.
Default bail is a statutory safeguard available when an investigating agency fails to complete its investigation and file the required chargesheet within the applicable legal timeframe. It does not amount to an acquittal or establish that the allegations are false.
The court also allowed VanDyke’s application for discharge from the immigration-law offences after those offences were compounded on September 18. However, the proceedings relating to the alleged UAPA offences remain subject to the ongoing investigation.
The NIA’s investigation into the alleged UAPA offences is ongoing. The six Ukrainian nationals arrested alongside VanDyke were also allowed to travel to Ukraine for one month and were directed to return to India and cooperate with the investigation. They are yet to return to India.
