Ex-US Soldier Held Near India-Nepal Border Without Documents, Entered India Via Sea Route | Video

Last Updated:July 13, 2026, 17:37 IST

Jordan Brown told investigators he had travelled to Thailand on a tourist visa, where he lost his passport. He then allegedly travelled to Sri Lanka by sea before reaching India.

Months after the arrest of US drone expert Matthew VanDyke from Manipur, another American citizen has been detained in India under suspicious circumstances. Jordan Brown, a resident of California who claimed to be a former US Special Forces soldier, was arrested by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) near the Sonauli India-Nepal border on July 11.

According to reports, Brown was caught while attempting to enter Nepal without valid travel documents. Officials said he allegedly tried to escape from an SSB jawan, but local villagers helped security personnel apprehend him.

A video circulating on social media purportedly shows villagers assisting security forces in surrounding and catching the American national.  Authorities said Brown’s statements during questioning have repeatedly changed, prompting joint security and intelligence agencies to examine his claims closely.

Officials outline travel claims

Additional Superintendent of Police (Maharajganj) Siddharth said Brown entered India by sea in November 2025 and had been living in Goa since then.

In a video message issued by the Police Media Cell, the officer said Brown was detained by the SSB while attempting to cross into Nepal without authorisation.

According to the officer, Brown told investigators he had travelled to Thailand on a tourist visa, where he lost his passport. He then allegedly travelled to Sri Lanka by sea before reaching India through another sea route on November 2, 2025. Since then, he claimed to have been residing in Goa.

Officials said no valid travel documents were found in his possession.

A case has been registered at Sonauli Police Station under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act for entering India without valid documents. Further legal proceedings are underway.

Conflicting versions raise red flags

During interrogation, Brown told officials he studied at the University of California and served in the US military for six years before leaving the service about two years ago.

However, investigators said his account of how he reached the India-Nepal border kept changing.

In one version, Brown claimed he lost or had his passport stolen in Thailand before travelling through Sri Lanka and entering India by sea.

In another statement, he claimed he had arrived in Goa directly from the United States two months ago. He said he spent six weeks there before travelling to Bengaluru, then boarded a long-distance bus to Lucknow on July 8 and later reached Gorakhpur, from where he hired a taxi to Sonauli.

Brown also claimed he was travelling to Nepal to meet a Nepalese national identified only as “Naz", whom he had met in Goa. When questioned about the absence of identification documents, he said another acquaintance in Bengaluru was holding his passport.

Officials said Brown failed to provide verifiable names, addresses or phone numbers for either person.

Investigation continues

Brown further claimed that he met an Indian woman from Uttarakhand in Italy three years ago and married her in October 2024. He said she currently works as a yoga instructor, though police have not verified the claim.

At the time of his arrest, authorities recovered Rs 31,460 in cash and two mobile phones, but no passport, visa or other official identification documents.

Given Brown’s claim of having a Special Forces background and the sensitive nature of the porous India-Nepal border, central intelligence agencies have been brought into the investigation to determine the purpose of his undocumented travel.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on July 3 produced five Ukrainian nationals and one US citizen before the Patiala House Court. They were arrested for allegedly providing terrorist and combat training, including drone warfare and other military technologies, to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar after entering India on tourist visas and travelling into Myanmar through Mizoram. The accused are in judicial custody and the investigation is continuing.

About the Author

Shuddhanta Patra

Shuddhanta Patra, a seasoned journalist with eight years of experience, serves as Senior Sub‑Editor at CNN News 18. With expertise across national politics, geopolitics, business news, she has influen...Read More

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