Foreigners face legal heat for carrying banned GPS devices

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Almost every FIR, among which multiple have been accessed by The Tribune, are registered under Section 42 (3) (d) of the Telecommunication Act.

As per the said section, anyone who possesses radio equipment without an authorisation or an exemption that can accommodate more than specified number of subscriber identity modules shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or​ with fine which may extend up to Rs 50 lakh, or with both.

3 Americans, 1 Australian booked in March so far

In March so far, four cases have been registered against as many foreigners of which three are from the US while one from Australia.

The US passengers were found carrying GARMIN GPS devices while the Australian had a satellite phone (Iridium) in his handbag

Just in March, four cases have been registered against as many foreigners of which three are from the US while one from Australia. The US passengers, during scrutiny of their luggage, were found carrying GARMIN GPS devices while the Australian national had a satellite phone (Iridium) in his handbag. Passengers claimed that they were not aware of the security guidelines.

Earlier in January, a Scottish hiker claimed that she was detained at the Delhi airport for allegedly carrying a similar GPS device. According to the official sources, in January close to 10 such cases were reported from the Airport.

The scotti​s​h hiker, Heather, even shared her ordeal on Instagram and advised others not to carry such banned devices in India.

"...I innocently placed my Garmin Inreach in the tray to go through the scanner and at that moment I was promptly pulled aside by security and told to wait... I waited and waited, wondering what on earth was going on, I was eventually told that the Garmin was illegal here and that they were handing me over to the police," Heather stated.

She intimated her embassy but they were ​"not able to intervene​" following the legal proceedings​. She was released around 9 pm on the same day.

"I am not the only person who has fallen victim to this law, hence I felt compelled to write this post, in hope that it will save even one of you from suffering the same fate," she added.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2022 banned the carriage of GPS devices which use signals from foreign satellites and do not have gateways in India.

​The bureau is responsible for laying down the standards for security in respect of civil flights operating to or from India and ensuring their compliance through regular inspections and security audits.

Former Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla had even last year said BCAS and other intelligence agencies were "doing their best" to counter the challenges being posed from emerging technologies like AI, "GPS" and cyber threats.

​In 2024, more than 1000 airlines and airports ​in the country had received hoax bomb threats​, nearly 10 times more than the threats received in 2023​.