A Scottish hiker was detained at the Delhi Airport on Thursday for carrying a Garmin Inreach GPS device, which is banned in India. In a post uploaded on Instagram, the hiker explained that she was pulled aside by airport security in Delhi while she was waiting for her flight to head to Rishikesh. In the long post, she shared the entire ordeal and asked hikers coming to India to not carry a “Garmin Inreach or any other satellite communicator.” Scroll on to know more about this.
Foreign Hiker Arrested In Delhi For Carrying A Banned GPS Device
Scottish hiker Heather (@hiker_heather) was “arrested & detained in Delhi Airport” on January 2 for carrying a banned GPS device. She took to Instagram to share how the airport security asked her to step aside before her flight to Rishikesh.
In the caption of the post, she shared, “At around 10.30 am this morning, I was passing through security at Delhi Airport with the intention of taking an internal flight to Rishikesh, 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.”
She was eventually told by the security personnel that the Garmin Inreach device was banned in India. Because of carrying the banned device, she was handed over to the police. She explained that she got in touch with the embassy and waited for further guidance.
At the police station, she was “questioned, in a fairly friendly manner and made to sign document after document.” She was allowed to leave the station at 9 PM and was asked to return to attend a court hearing. In an Instagram story, she mentioned that she is also waiting to know more about how to navigate the whole situation.
Why Is The GPS Device Banned In India?
According to Times Now, Garmin uses satellite communication technology to make their GPS devices. Now, like many countries, India prohibits the unauthorised use of satellite communication. This is mainly because of security reasons and to avoid illegal activities like espionage and smuggling, especially in sensitive areas.
Last month, a similar incident was reported in Goa. A Czech resident was detained for carrying a Garmin Edge 540 GPS device. According to a Hindustan Times report, he has been booked under provisions of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, of 1933. Now, he has been issued a notice to appear before the Goa police.
We hope this information was useful for all the foreigners coming to India. We suggest checking the laws and regulations of any country before heading there to avoid such unfortunate incidents.
Cover Image Courtesy: Instagram/hiker_heather & Canva (representative image)
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