Ex-US Navy Man Jordan Brown Caught Crossing Into Nepal Without Passport, Booked Under Foreigners Act

A 36-year-old American national was booked by Uttar Pradesh police this week after he was caught trying to slip into Nepal without a passport, visa, or any valid travel document, in an episode that has now triggered a multi-agency probe into how he entered India and why he was heading toward the border undetected.

The man, identified as Jordan Brown, a resident of California, was apprehended by the Sashastra Seema Bal near border pillar number 516 in the Mainihwa area under Sonauli police station limits in Maharajganj district on July 11, during a routine patrol. Officials said he attempted to flee when personnel stopped him for document verification but was chased down and caught with the help of local villagers, an incident captured on video that quickly went viral.

A case was registered against Brown at Sonauli police station under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, provisions dealing with entering the country without valid travel papers and failing to comply with directions issued to foreigners.

Maharajganj Additional Superintendent of Police Siddharth, in a video statement issued through the police media cell, said, "On July 11, the SSB apprehended an individual near Sonauli for attempting to enter Nepal without authorisation. Upon questioning, he identified himself as Jordan Brown and stated that he is a US citizen from California."

According to the officer, Brown told investigators a layered account of his travels, claiming he first went to Thailand on a tourist visa, where he lost his passport, before reaching Sri Lanka and then entering India by sea route on November 2, 2025. He said he had been living in Goa since then before travelling to the border area. "During questioning, he revealed that he had travelled to Thailand on a tourist visa, where he lost his passport. He subsequently reached Sri Lanka via a sea route and arrived in India from there by sea on November 2, 2025," the ASP said.

Police said Brown gave contradictory statements about how he entered India, the purpose of his visit, and even his own identity, at one point mentioning a marriage to an Indian yoga instructor and, at another, a planned meeting with an acquaintance in Nepal. He also claimed to have studied at the University of California and served with the US Navy for six years, adding that he left service roughly two years ago and has since travelled across around 70 countries.

During the search, SSB personnel recovered Rs 31,460 in cash, two mobile phones, Nepalese currency, religious texts, an AI translation device, a diary, a wristwatch, and other personal items from Brown's possession. Investigators also reported recovering a Chinese passport among his belongings, though officials have not confirmed its ownership or authenticity, and said the document is being examined as part of the investigation.

A senior police officer said multiple central intelligence and security agencies have questioned Brown, though no evidence of any suspicious or anti-national links has emerged so far. "Agencies are independently verifying every claim made by him, including his identity, travel history, previous visits to different countries, and the circumstances in which he entered India," the officer said.

Authorities have also informed the US embassy about the development. Officials said Brown had travelled from Bengaluru to Sonauli intending to cross into Nepal, and that the Sonauli border, connecting Maharajganj with Bhairahawa in Nepal's Rupandehi district, remains one of the busiest land transit points between the two countries. Further legal proceedings, including verification of Brown's identity and travel history, are underway, with police stating that his claims will determine the course the case takes going forward.

The development comes days after a separate case in which five Ukrainian nationals and one American were produced before the Patiala House Court on July 3 in an NIA probe into alleged combat training provided to armed groups in Myanmar, underlining the scrutiny foreign nationals now face at Indian borders.

Inputs from ANI