A 36-year-old American citizen identified as Jordan Brown was arrested on July 11 near the Sonauli border in Maharajganj district, Uttar Pradesh, while allegedly attempting to enter Nepal without valid documents, NDTV reported.
He was intercepted by personnel of the 22nd Battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) during routine border patrol near border pillar number 516 in the Mainihwa area under the Sonauli police station limits.
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According to SSB and the local police, Brown was arrested because he failed to produce a valid passport or visa when asked for travel documents before crossing over to Nepal.
Officials said that Brown attempted to flee after he was stopped for document verification. Security personnel chased and apprehended him with assistance from local villagers.
अमेरिकी नागरिक Jordan Brown को भारत-नेपाल सीमा पर बिना वैध Travel Documents के नेपाल में घुसने की कोशिश करते हुए गिरफ्तार किया गया। उसने दावा किया कि वह U.S. Navy और Special Forces में काम कर चुका है।पहले भी भारत-म्यांमार सीमा से सटे इलाकों में कई विदेशी नागरिकों को पकड़ा गया है pic.twitter.com/2z91iXoJHY
— Bimal Sharma (@BimalSharm50754) July 14, 2026
Police said Brown, a resident of California, claimed to be a former member of the US Navy and the US Special Forces during questioning, but officials stressed that these claims are still being verified.
During interrogation, the police learned that Brown had allegedly travelled to Thailand on a tourist visa, where he lost his passport, NDTV reported. "He subsequently reached Sri Lanka via a sea route and arrived in India from there by sea on 2 November, 2025. Since then, he had been residing in Goa," the additional SP said.
This means he had spent nearly seven months in India without carrying his passport. The official said Brown traveled from Goa to Bengaluru and from there to the Sonauli border, intending to enter Nepal.
During a search, Rs 31,460 in cash and two mobile phones were recovered from Brown's possession, but he was unable to produce a passport, visa, or any other valid travel documents. He was questioned by the SSB and other security agencies before being handed over to the Uttar Pradesh police in Sonauli for further legal action, said SSB Assistant Commandant Priya Yadav.
The claims made by Brown during questioning are part of an ongoing investigation and have not yet been independently verified by authorities. Officials have said that Brown's account of his movements changed during questioning, prompting further scrutiny by intelligence agencies. A case has been registered against him at the Sonauli Police Station under Sections 21/23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act for entering India without valid documents, NDTV reported.
As per the current status, authorities have not publicly accused him of espionage, terrorism or any other national security offence.
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