U.S National given two-year sentence for entering India with tampered visa

A 40-year-old American National Erik Daniel Backwith was sentenced to a 2-year-imprisonment by a court in Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh on charges of attempting to enter India with a tampered visa. 

Beckwith was arrested in March 2023 at the Indo-Nepal border in Sonauli. He claimed to be enroute Nepal to meet a saint when he was caught. “Upon inspection, it was discovered that Beckwith had altered his visa after it expired. He was subsequently taken into custody for questioning,” Government counsel Ramesh Chandra stated. 

Erik has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections of 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), and the Foreigners' Act. Erik had entered India in 2018 on a tourist visa. He returned to the United States of America and visited Nepal through the Sonauli border. He applied for a new visa in 2021. “Beckwith re-entered India in 2021 on another tourist visa. When it expired, he tampered with the document to extend his stay. He then resided with sadhus in Prayagraj and other locations. Recently, he learned about a saint residing in Nepal and claimed he was on his way to meet him when he was caught,” Chandra added.