Three American nationals have been directed to leave India by 10 May 2026, after Pune City Police found them engaging in religious preaching and distributing pamphlets in violation of the conditions of their tourist visas, as reported in NDTV.
The individuals identified as James Ritchie Hudson (65) from Pennsylvania, Frantz Thomas (53), and Garry Rosemond Jean (64) had entered India earlier this month on e-Tourist visas and were staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Pimpri, Pune.
The incident came to light on the morning of 26 April 2026, near the Panchmukhi Maruti Temple in Shukrawar Peth, when the three were found distributing religious pamphlets. A 26-year-old local taxi driver approached by the trio filed a complaint with the police, as reported in Punekar News.
According to the complaint, the three men handed him pamphlets printed in Marathi, Hindi, and English, titled “Why is the world so divided?” (translated into Marathi as “Jag Itke Vibhaglele Ka Aahe?”). The complainant alleged that while giving the material, the individuals stated, “Yesu is Great, no other great than Lord Yesu.”
After reading the Marathi pamphlet, the driver stated that it promoted the superiority of Christianity while allegedly disparaging other religions. He said his religious sentiments were hurt by what he described as unsolicited proselytisation and alerted the authorities.
Personnel from the Khadak Police Station reached the spot and detained the three foreign nationals for questioning. During the intervention, police recovered a large quantity of religious pamphlets in multiple languages from their possession.
Based on the complaint, the Khadak Police registered a Non-Cognizable (NC) offence under Section 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which pertains to uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings.
The case was subsequently referred to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRO) under the Pune Police Special Branch for further action.
On April 27, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Branch-II) Sandeep Bhajibhakare issued formal ‘Leave India’ notices to all three individuals. The notice stated that they had violated visa norms by “engaging in religious preaching and teaching work” while holding tourist visas, which is prohibited under Indian law.
Authorities stated that such actions constitute a contravention of the provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, along with the relevant rules and orders framed under it. The notice warned that failure to comply with the directive to leave India by May 10 would make them liable for prosecution.
Police officials reiterated that foreign nationals visiting India on tourist visas are strictly prohibited from engaging in missionary activities, religious preaching, or any form of proselytisation.
Officials also noted that similar violations by foreign nationals have been reported in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad in the past, following which surveillance and enforcement measures have been intensified.
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