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Elon Musk’s Starlink has come under the radar of the Indian police after drug smugglers allegedly used one of its internet service devices to bring drugs worth $4.25 Bn into Indian waters from Myanmar.
Police officials in Andaman and Nicobar islands have sent Starlink a legal notice, demanding the name of the person who purchased the device that helped the peddlers smuggle contraband into the country via sea, Reuters reported, citing sources.
The police has also sought details like the payment method used to purchase the Starlink Mini device linked to the drugs smuggling case, registration details, and usage history.
In November, the local police seized more than 6,000 kg of meth on a boat and detained six Myanmar nationals for transporting the contraband. The police officials found the satellite internet device on the same boat.
The lead police officer in the case then said that the incident raised “alarm bells” as it was the first time a Starlink device was used to navigate the deep sea and smuggle drugs into Indian waters.
The development comes at a time when Startlink is seeking government licence to offer its satcom services in the country.
It is already embroiled in a clash with major telecom players Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio over the process of allocation of satcom spectrum.
While Starlink and Amazon Kuiper have called for allocation of the satcom spectrum through the administrative route, Airtel and Jio have sought an auction of the spectrum.
It is pertinent to note that Starlink is yet to get a security clearance from the Centre to launch its satellite broadband services in India. The government wants assurance from the company that it would process and store data locally.
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