Permits under scrutiny: Two foreign nationals arrested for entering Mizoram without proper permits; Tighter regulations come after reports of illegal activities

Aizawl: A 41-year-old Russian national was detained by Border Security Force personnel in Mizoram’s Mamit district while crossing into the state from Tripura without the mandatory Protected Area Permit, a senior police official told TOI on Thursday.The arrest took place on Wednesday at Rajiv Nagar village in north-western Mamit district, which borders Tripura and Bangladesh. The detention came a day after a Slovak national was arrested in south Mizoram’s Siaha district.Police identified the Russian as Igor Babko. The official said Babko entered Mizoram by bicycle without obtaining the required PAP.After being handed over by the BSF to Mamit district police, Babko was questioned in detail. He told police he was unaware that a PAP was required to enter Mizoram and said he had left Agartala on a bicycle on March 18 to travel toward the state. Police believe he may have taken the route through Kanchanpur in North Tripura district.“He did not have any knowledge that he must obtain PAP before going to Mizoram,” the official said.Police said Babko is likely to be sent back to Tripura on Thursday, though a final decision had not been taken.Meanwhile, the Slovak national arrested by Assam Rifles personnel at Laki village in Siaha district, near the Myanmar border, will be deported from Mizoram on Friday, the official said. “This Slovak is known to be a hodophile, and had even been in Thailand as a manager in a hotel. He has friends in Mizoram and Myanmar who have reportedly invited him to participate in a water festival in southern Chin state of Myanmar,” he said.The Slovak was arrested while allegedly trying to cross the Mizoram-Myanmar international border at Laki village and was later handed over to Siaha district police. Mizoram Police have informed the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Kolkata.Following instructions from the FRRO, the Slovak will be deported for entering Mizoram without a PAP. He is scheduled to fly from Lengpui airport near Aizawl to Kolkata on Friday and already has a ticket for the journey, the official said.The Protected Area Permit requirement for northeastern states sharing borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh had been relaxed in 2018 until 2027. But the MHA reimposed the PAP regime from Dec 2024 after multiple reports of foreign nationals, including mercenaries, crossing into Myanmar to train ethnic armed groups in conflict zones.The Centre has tightened scrutiny further after the National Investigation Agency recently arrested six Ukrainians and one American. The foreign nationals, who allegedly entered Myanmar through Mizoram without PAP, have been accused of providing drone warfare training and smuggling large consignments of European drones into Myanmar’s Chin state.