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A Scottish hiker claimed that she was detained at the Delhi airport on Thursday for allegedly carrying Garmin Inreach, a GPS and satellite messaging device banned in India.
In a video posted on Instagram, the hiker, Heather, alleged that she was pulled aside by security before her flight to Rishikesh.
“At around 10.30am 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,” Heather said in her post.
She said the security personnel subsequently told her that the Garmin Inreach device is banned in India and that she was being handed over to the police.
“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, I called the Embassy whilst waiting for the Police but was told there was little they could do since they were unable to intervene since I was in the hands of the law in this country…,” she wrote.
Heather claimed that she was later taken to a police station for questioning and was made to sign some documents.
“I was eventually taken to the police station, where I was questioned in a fairly friendly manner and made to sign document after document. I didn’t take the ‘no comment’ stance, foolishly or not; it is my nature, to be honest, and after all, there was absolutely no intent on my behalf,” she wrote in her post.
“… At 9pm, I was finally released from the police station, but I am required to return to attend court,” the tourist added.
In a similar incident, a Czech national was booked in Goa last month for allegedly carrying a Garmin Edge 540 GPS device, news agency PTI reported.
The device, banned in India, was found during screening at the Manohar International Airport at Mopa in North Goa. He has been booked under provisions of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933 and has been issued a notice to appear before the Goa police.
