“Detained at [a] police station most of yesterday til 2 am. Out on bail (!!!!),” Tina Lewis messaged to me on December 6, 2024. “I’m too f$%&ing tired to explain right now,” she said.
I didn’t know what she was accused of and was a little worried. She confirmed that she was okay.
“This is surreal,” the messages and anger kept coming, that day and the next several.
It took Lewis six days to get her passport back. Her violation? Possessing a satellite GPS device without permission from Indian authorities.
A Canadian citizen, Lewis, aged 51, lives in Colorado and was the 2012 Leadville 100 Mile winner. An experienced adventurer, she’d been traveling alone through India for two months and documenting her trip on social media.
At first, she visited the Taj Mahal, proclaiming it was “the moment I’ve dreamed of for years! Another 7 Wonders of the World added to my list!” She then got off the beaten path and into the mountains of Northern India, and later posts were positive too. “Feeling like a princess at the opulent City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan,” she smiled on one post.
Then she went to Goa, a coastal state in Western India. Everything was great there, too. She enjoyed the beaches, reggae vibes, and Portuguese influences. But while traveling between the cities of Goa and Kochi, she was detained at Goa Dabolim International Airport.
Lewis had a Garmin inReach Mini in her carry-on baggage.
The incident made the local news.
Garmin describes its product as “your go-to connection for maintaining off-the-grid contact. It’s our palm-sized satellite communicator for adventures where size and weight matter. Need assistance? Send interactive SOS alerts anytime, globally. No matter where you are, two-way messaging lets you connect to the ones who matter.”
Lewis explained, “I had the Garmin for camping and trekking solo. And to use when no reception to check in with family to let them know I’m safe. As a solo female traveler, I think it’s wise.”
But the safety device landed Lewis in trouble. Satellite phones are illegal in India, banned as part of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933. The Garmin inReach Mini and similar devices are commonly mistaken for satellite phones.
Tina Lewis said her arrest, detainment, bail, court, lawyer’s fees, and fines cost her thousands of dollars.
Whether for security concerns, including concerns that they can be tracked by military authorities, or the potential to interfere with government telecommunications, satellite phones are banned in some other countries too, like Cuba and North Korea. Iridium satellite phones, in particular, are not permitted in India and can land unwitting travelers in trouble.
Lewis isn’t the only one unaware of the law. Arrests appear to be a near-daily occurrence. A December 9 article shared that a Czech national was arrested at an airport for carrying a Garmin Edge 540 GPS. And on December 10, it was an American citizen with an actual satellite phone.
Lewis didn’t involve the Canadian embassy for fear that it would slow the process, and she didn’t actually go to jail. She benefited from a local connection that rushed a lawyer to her aid, in addition to the police-appointed lawyer.
“I was detained at the police station, being questioned and literally about to go the hospital for a medical exam before jail when my friend’s lawyer showed up,” she explained. “But I spent several full days in court.”
She says she spent thousands in court fines and lawyer fees, and of course forfeited the Garmin device.
Having just gotten back her passport, Lewis reflected, “I’ve taken a few days to process and I don’t want this ruining my trip.”
But the six-day event left Lewis frightened, discouraged, and feeling violated. It’s a bad spot on an otherwise great trip and a genuine appreciation for India.
“This outdated law needs to be challenged at [a] higher court so other travelers do not experience what I, and others, have,” Lewis shared on social media.