Satellite phone use in Uttara Kannada district rings alam bells among locals

KARWAR: The repeated use of satellite phones from deep within the Western Ghats in Uttara Kannada district, which houses vital installations apart from being a popular tourist destination, has become a major cause of concern for the security establishment. Operations by central intelligence agencies and the local police to trace the origin of the calls have not yielded results so far.

The Netrani island off Karwar coast.

The district houses sensitive installations like the Kaiga nuclear power plant, the Seabird Naval project, dams, tourist spots apart from the beautiful beaches and water sport locations.

Kaiga nuclear power plant.

Over the last 2-3 years, at least three to four outgoing satellite phone calls have been traced every year from the district from the densly forested region of the Western Ghats. Active satellite phones have also been traced to the coastal areas. Intelligence agencies, which have been tracking the calls, conducted a combing operation in the Yellapur forests along with the district police, but could not locate the phones.

Uttara Kannada SP Dr Suman Pennekar.

Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police Dr Suman Pennekar, however, said that sometimes, satellite phones uses on ships in the high seas are shown as being on land. “About 15 days ago, we had received inputs about a satellite phone being active near Gokarna. However, nothing suspicious was found. All agencies concerned are investigating. We keep getting inputs and as per procedure, we conduct verification. So far, we do not have any suspects”.

The Union government had declared satellite phones a threat to national security following several terror acts and use of satellite phones for personal and commercial use is prohibited in the country. Only security agencies and defence forces can use it legally.

In 2017, however, the government relaxed the rules and allowed the public to buy Inmarsat phones after the UK-based global satellite communication provider partnered with state-owned BSNL to open a global satellite phone service gateway in Ghaziabad, UP. Inmarsat met the government’s need for lawful interception and addressed security concerns about the use of such phones by setting up the gateway within the country.