Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Aug 9: Police have seized three satellite phones from foreign nationals including a US citizen, which were being used without proper permission from the concerned authorities.
Police sources said that two satellite phones were seized from Leh area and another from Nobra valley. The foreigners were identified as Hagel Katherine Elizabeth, a resident of New York, Jacques Nicolos Emile Edmond from Switzerland and Figureas Porrent Carles from Spain.
They were trekking in the mountains when the technical teams of State police and central security agencies detected signals. Soon after the seizure of the satellite phones, Leh Police produced the foreigners in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate.
The court ordered release of the foreigners after paying a fine, sources said, adding the satellite phones will be given to the Telecommunication Department as per the directions of the court.
Existing rules of Department of Telecom prohibit use of Inmarsat Satphones without prior permission from DoT. Thuraya Satphone service is not permitted in India and anyone using any telegraphic device including Satphone unauthorisedly violates Indian Telegraph Act, sources said while disclosing that Department of Customs and Central Excise had issued a circular, which mentioned that there were instances of satellite phones being brought in the country, which poses a serious security threat.
The Department has taken serious note of unauthorized use of satellite phones in India and made it mandatory for foreign tourists having sat-phones to declare the same to the customs.
In fact such declaration was made a must for all the passengers having sat-phones.
The circular stated that besides such declaration to customs, the DoT permission was also a must otherwise the sat-phones would be confiscated and appropriate action in accordance with the law may be initiated.
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