New Delhi, Mar 28: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that a group of foreign nationals arrested recently by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) did not pose any threat to India’s security and were attempting to use the country as a transit route to Myanmar for terror training.
The group, comprising one American and six Ukrainian citizens, was apprehended from Kolkata, Lucknow and Delhi. According to Shah, they were planning to travel through Mizoram into Myanmar, where insurgent bases were to be used for imparting training.
“They were caught as they were planning to transit through Mizoram into Myanmar, where insurgent bases would be used to impart training to the Ukrainians,” Shah said, adding that the group had failed to obtain the mandatory advance permit required for foreign nationals to enter Mizoram.
Clarifying the government’s position, Shah said, “No threat was posed to India’s security,” and stressed that India was merely being used as a passage point in this case. This marks the first official confirmation that the group’s focus was on Myanmar and not India.
Reiterating the government’s firm stance, he said, “It is our policy that any foreigner who visits India for any wrong act will not be spared.”
On the issue of Left-wing extremism, Shah referred to the March 31, 2026 deadline to eliminate Naxalism, stating that the objective was not symbolic victory but the cessation of violence. “It is not about victory or loss but stopping attacks and blasts,” he said.
Shah added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naxalism has been significantly curtailed, with development initiatives now reaching tribal regions across the Tirupati–Pashupatinath corridor.
