PANAJI
Goa’s repeated claims of robust intelligence gathering and surveillance of foreign nationals have been dealt a severe blow after a former US serviceman, who allegedly entered India without a passport or valid travel documents, was found to have lived in Goa for months before quietly leaving the State and eventually being arrested near the India-Nepal border.
Jordan Brown, 36, who during interrogation identified himself as a former US Navy serviceman and a resident of California, was arrested by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel near border pillar 516 in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district while allegedly attempting to enter Nepal through an unauthorised route. The Uttar Pradesh Police informed the media that Brown was unable to produce a passport, visa or any other identification document when he was detained. He was carrying Rs 31,460 cash and two mobile phones.
During questioning, Brown claimed that he had travelled to Thailand on a tourist visa, where he lost his passport. Thereafter, he allegedly travelled by sea to Sri Lanka, then reached India by sea on November 2, 2025. “He then travelled to Goa and stayed here for a couple of months before travelling to Bengaluru and then to Uttar Pradesh. He was intercepted while allegedly attempting to cross into Nepal illegally,” the police said.
Goa police officials said that the timeline means Brown is alleged to have spent nearly eight months in Goa without valid travel documents before leaving the State without attracting the attention of enforcement agencies.
The incident has reportedly left Goa police red-faced amidst its claims to have maintained strong intelligence gathering and monitoring mechanisms on foreign nationals staying in the State.
Goa has long remained a safe haven for foreign tourists, making verification of overstaying foreigners and undocumented migrants a recurring security concern.
One of the major cases where Goa’s intelligence inputs were questioned was when Pakistani-born American terrorist David Coleman Headley visited Goa. The key conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks was arrested in Chicago, which is when his links with Goa emerged. In 2012, police also uncovered terror convict Yasin Bhatkal’s stay in a rented house at Anjuna between 2011 and 2012. He was arrested in a joint operation between the Intelligence Bureau and the Bihar Police.
The State has also inadvertently sheltered other wanted fugitives. In 2009, Goa Police stumbled upon one of Britain’s most wanted men, Ajay Kaushal, while probing the death of his associate in a hotel. In 2010, Mumbai Police arrested Chhota Rajan gang sharpshooter Umaid-ur-Rahman from Arambol, where he had been living just metres from a police outpost.
