Man held at airport for carrying banned satellite phone

Man held at airport for carrying banned satellite phone

An American citizen was arrested at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Monday for allegedly attempting to fly with a satellite phone, which is banned in India.

Satellite phone is a mobile phone which uses satellites, not landline or cellular broadcasting towers, to make or receive calls.

According to the police, the accused had arrived in India a few days ago and was going to another state by a domestic flight on Monday. The police said while his baggage was being examined at the Airport, the officials of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), found a satellite phone in his baggage which is banned in India. The officials then apprehended him and handed him over to the Sahar police.

The police said the accused was going to trekking for which he had carried the satellite phone with him.

The accused told the police that he was not aware that the satellite phones are banned in India.

“He told us that he was not aware that it’s banned in India. He said he wanted to use it in the remote areas where he will go for trekking. An offense was registered against him under relevant sections of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act,” said Lata Shirsat, Senior police inspector of Sahar police station.

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After taking him into the custody he was asked to be present in the Andheri court where he had applied for the bail.

“The charge sheet has been filed in the case and I had applied for the bail, however, the Court has given Magistrate’s custody to my client,” the lawyer of the accused said.

Notably, the handlers of the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists had apparently used these phones during the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation also issued a circular in 2012 to all airports in the country to detain passengers carrying satellite phones.