A Canadian trail runner was detained on Dec. 6 at Dabolim International Airport in Goa, India, for travelling with a satellite GPS device. Tina Lewis of Montreal was found with a Garmin inReach Mini, a device often mistaken for a satellite phone, which is illegal in India.
According to the trail running website IRunFar, it took Lewis six days to get her passport back due to the violation and thousands of Canadian dollars. Lewis was travelling between Goa and Kochi when she was detained during a routine baggage check at the airport. India’s Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) detected the Garmin inReach Mini in her carry-on during a routine scan. When questioned, she did not have permission from authorities to carry the device. As a result, security personnel seized the device and handed her over to the local police.
Tina Lewis was arrested in India for traveling with a GPS device. Possession of a satellite phone is illegal there, and GPS devices are often confused for them.
We wish Tina the best.
— iRunFar (@iRunFar) December 16, 2024
The 51-year-old who won the Leadville 100 miler in 2012 had been solo travelling India for two months and had reportedly travelled to Goa, a coastal state in Western India to experience the beaches.
The Garmin inReach Mini device in her carry-on bag was mistaken for a satellite transmitter, which is illegal in India under Section 6 (1A) of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 and Section 20 of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885. These sections deal with the unauthorized possession and operation of wireless transmitters and telegraphs, punishable by up to three years imprisonment, a fine, or sometimes both.
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A Garmin inReach is a remote satellite communicator designed for extreme outdoor adventurers. The device allows them to send and receive messages via the Iridium satellite network in remote areas without cell coverage. Lewis told IRunFar, she had the device for safety during camping and trekking solo, enabling her to check in with family on her whereabouts.
Lewis chose not to involve the Canadian embassy to avoid delays, Lewis relying on a local connection to provide a lawyer to assist her.
“I was detained at the police station, being questioned and literally about to go to the hospital for a medical exam before jail when my friend’s lawyer showed up,” she said. Lewis spent several days in Indian court fighting the charges, resulting in thousands of dollars in legal fees and a six-day journey to get her Canadian passport in her possession.
Lewis wrote about the experience on her social media page, calling for a change to the outdated laws. International tourists are reportedly detained every day in India for carrying satellite devices. A Czech cyclist was detained three days later at the same airport for carrying a Garmin Edge 540 GPS bike computer.
