Manipur: Security Agencies Seized ‘Starlink’ Devices During Raids

‘Starlink’, owned by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX may have a link to Manipur as security forces seized Starlink devices from Imphal East on December 13. The devices were seized during a joint search operation by the police and the Army, as per reports.

Officials said that abandoned Starlink satellite antenna and router by armed miscreants were recovered from Keirao Khunou in Imphal East during the raids. Along with the Starlink device, other weapons and ammunitions including MA4 Assault rifles, used by the Myanmar Army and a pistol were also found.

The seized Starlink device had “RPF/PLA” scribbled on it. The abbreviation for it reads  for Peoples’ Liberation Army and its political wing, the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front (RPF), a Meitei extremist group which  operates from Myanmar and is banned by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The group advocated the secession of Manipur from India.

The recovery has belled warning signals among the security agencies as the equipment providing satellite-based high-speed Internet circumvents the Indian network. It is found  for the first time in the State worsened by ethnic violence since May 2023.

However, after the pictures of the seized equipment were circulated on social media, Starlink founder Elon Musk said that it is “false”, as Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India.

“This is false. Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India,” Musk said on X.

What is Starlink

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation that provides broadband internet to over 100 countries and territories. It is also the world's first and largest satellite constellation to use a low Earth orbit. It has over 6,419 satellites in orbit and four million subscribers.

SpaceX has put limits on where its users can use the service of Starlink. Musk has been aiming to launch Starlink in India since 2021, but regulatory hurdles have not let it happened yet. Starlink does not have a license to operate in India.

Starlink’s Use in India Found Earlier as Well:

Earlier (November 2023) reports said that Starlink devices were also seized by the Andaman and Nicobar police and the Indian Coast Guards while apprehending six alleged smugglers from Myanmar. The smugglers used a Starlink device to navigate the sea while they tried to transport 6,000 kg of methamphetamine, worth ₹36,000 crore, in a fishing trawler. 

It was under investigation and as per reports government sources said that it could not be said conclusively whether the device was used for communication.