476 instances of satellite phone calls from Karnataka since last year: Govt
Use of these banned phones has serious national and state security implications: Karnataka Home Minister
BENGALURU:
Satellite phones were banned in India in 2012, but their use is still rampant, leading to serious implications for national security. Karnataka too is faced with the phenomenon of international calls being made via satellite phones, and the state police are coordinating with central intelligence agencies in the matter.
“After the 2011 Mumbai terror bombings, the Director-General of Shipping had issued a circular in 2012 banning the use of satellite phones on Indian seas or waters. Their usage has been banned across the country in general, but their continued use has come to our notice,“ Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said in reply to a query by Congress MLA UT Khader in the state Assembly during zero hour. Jnanendra said the state government has information about 256 such incidents in 2020 and 220 such incidents till date this year.
The Minister said the state police, the Internal Security Division (ISD), the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) are coordinating in the matter.
Calls from interior Karnataka
Noting that the issue could not be discussed in public as matters of national security are involved, the Minister said instances had come to light of the use of these banned phones even in the interior regions of Karnataka. The police were trying to trace the source of the calls, but at the present moment there was no major cause for concern, he added.
Raising the issue, Khader said there were reports of these phones being used in Dakshina Kannada, which raised security concerns considering the presence of terror modules in the region.
He sought an official statement on the issue from the government so as to instill confidence among the general public. He cited a media report of a youth who was accused of using a satellite phone in Belthangady a year ago, but was later cleared of the charge.
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