Police To Question Starlink After Device Allegedly Used In Drugs Smuggling

Elon Musk-owned satcom service provider Starlink has reportedly landed in hot waters after one of its devices was allegedly used by peddlers to smuggle drugs into Indian waters. 

As per Reuters, police officials in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands plan to seek details and usage history of the Starlink Mini device to identify the drug smugglers who navigated deep seas via the device and bring methamphetamine worth $4.25 Bn into the country via the sea. 

This comes just a week after the local police seized more than 6,000 kg of meth on a boat and detained six Myanmar nationals for transporting the contraband. The law enforcement authorities found the satellite internet device on the same boat. 

A top local police official Hargobinder S. Dhaliwal reportedly said that the incident has set off “alarm bells as it is the first time Starlink’s device has been used to navigate and reach Indian waters”.

“This (case) is different because it is bypassing all the legal channels… They directly operated (phones) with satellite, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot… They (smugglers) were using Starlink since their journey started from Myanmar,” Dhaliwal added.

Notably, Starlink, which does provide coverage in international waters, has reportedly previously said that its coverage in territorial waters is contingent on government approval. 

While it remains to be seen whether Starlink complies with the police request, the latest incident may create additional hurdles for the Elon Musk-owned company, which has plans to launch operations in India. 

Notably, Starlink has been aggressively lobbying the union government for a licence to offer its services in the country. But, back home, it is pitted against the likes of deep-pocketed Indian conglomerates and giants such as Reliance and Bharti Enterprises. 

Both Reliance Jio and Airtel parents have floated their own separate entities and applied for licences to offer satcom services in the country. But, while Starlink and Amazon Kuiper have pitched for administrative allocation of the satcom spectrum, the two telcos have sought auction of the satcom bandwidth. 

Notably, the government has time and again reiterated its stance on the matter and plans to administratively allocate the spectrum. 

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