A 36-year-old US citizen arrested for allegedly attempting to enter Nepal illegally from India was found carrying a Chinese passport along with multiple other documents and electronic devices, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Jordan Brown from California, was detained on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district while allegedly trying to cross the India-Nepal border. His arrest led to questioning by several central intelligence and security agencies due to the nature of the materials recovered from him.
However, officials said that the investigation so far has not revealed any evidence suggesting suspicious or anti-national activity.
"Different agencies are independently verifying the details provided by him, including his identity, travel history, previous visits to other countries and the circumstances under which he entered India," a senior police officer said.
Investigators believe Brown entered India by sea in November last year. Authorities are currently reviewing his movements over the past several months and checking his claims against immigration and travel records.
A forensic examination of the items seized from him is also underway, police said. The recovered belongings include a Chinese passport, a mobile phone, Nepalese currency, religious books, an AI-powered translation device, a diary, a wristwatch and other personal items.
Officials have not revealed whether the Chinese passport was authentic or how Brown obtained it, saying those details are part of the ongoing probe.
During interrogation, Brown told investigators that he travelled to Thailand on a tourist visa, where he allegedly misplaced his passport, Additional Superintendent of Police Siddharth said. Based on his statement, he later travelled by sea to Sri Lanka before entering India through the maritime route in November 2025.
Police said Brown claimed that he had been staying in Goa since then and was attempting to travel to Nepal when personnel from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) intercepted him near the India-Nepal border.
Authorities said Brown was unable to show valid travel documents at the time of his detention. Investigators are now verifying his version of events, including his international movements, the circumstances surrounding his lost passport and the process through which he entered India.
A case has been registered against him at Sonauli Police Station under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act for allegedly entering India without valid travel documents.
The development comes days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) detained five Ukrainian nationals and a US citizen over alleged involvement in providing terrorist and combat training to ethnic armed groups in Myanmar, ANI reported. The six accused were produced before the Patiala House court on Friday last week.
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