Ignorance of rules pertaining to satellite phones at airports in India cost a Doctorate student from Odisha dearly as he was not allowed to board his flight to Odisha from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on the night of May 24. He had in his possession a Global Positioning System (GPS) phone. When his flight departed by 8:45 pm, Bikash Sahu was cooling his heels at the airport police station.

Sahu, pursuing his PhD in Biological Sciences from the National Institute of Science, Education and Research in Khurda, was readying to leave for Bhubaneswar by an Indigo flight (6E 411) from the airport around 7 pm. The 26-year-old told The New Indian Express, "I had kept my Gramin GPS phone in my bag and during the screening of my baggage by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), it was taken out and examined. I was told this specific phone is prohibited inside the airport. I was detained there."

The CISF later called the airport police and submitted a complaint about the possession of the banned phone by the student. The student had to go to the airport police station. When this reporter visited the station a little while later, he was being questioned by the police who asked him to submit all the documents pertaining to the instrument and his identity. "I carry out soil testing as part of my course and this phone is very useful for me as a location indicator. Hence, I carry it with me always. I did not know it was not permitted inside the airport. I hope I am able to catch my flight," he said.

The questioning, however, continued for some time and Sahu was there at the station until 10 pm and missed his flight. His phone has been confiscated by the police for further examination and he has been let off after submitting a detailed explanation. A security official told The New Indian Express, "Carrying any kind of satellite phone inside an aircraft or inside airport premises is not permitted anywhere in India. It is banned and is considered illegal under the Indian Wireless Act as well as Telegraph Act."