US doctor detained at Sambhajinagar airport for carrying satellite phone, let off after questioning

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 45-year-old US citizen was detained at the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar airport on Thursday after security personnel found a banned satellite phone in his baggage during pre-boarding checks for a Delhi-bound flight.According to the police, the passenger, identified as Bright Andrew Clinton, a doctor by profession and a resident of Alabama, was scheduled to travel to Delhi on Air India flight AI-1843 at 4.20pm. During baggage screening, constable Vikas Yadav detected a Garmin satellite phone.Assistant sub-inspector Sachin Kene from the airport informed MIDC CIDCO police station about the recovery. CISF officer Sunil Kumar and other officials seized the device in the presence of panch witnesses, including ASI Kumar and ASI Yadav. The satellite phone and a photocopy of the passenger's passport were handed over to the police for further action.Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said satellite phones are prohibited in India without prior permission from the Union govt. When questioned about how he brought the device into the country, Clinton told officials that he was unaware of the ban and had not sought permission. He said he carried the device for emergency use and GPS location tracking, and even issued a written apology to the police, for the lapse.On the instructions of senior officers, Clinton was brought to MIDC CIDCO police station in the presence of CISF personnel. His statement was recorded late on Thursday with the assistance of a bilingual interpreter.In his statement recorded with the MIDC Cidco police station, Clinton said he had not used the device and that it was switched off. After recording his statement and issuing a warning, police allowed him to leave. "The satellite phone has been seized, and a station diary entry has been made in the matter," said an officer privy to the investigation. Sources said that the doctor visited Latur district and was on way back to the US, when he was detained at the airport.