The Israeli national told police that he was not aware that satellite phones are banned in India

A 23-year-old man from Israel was arrested for allegedly keeping a satellite phone, which is banned in India, at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, a police officer said today. Based on a complaint by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Sahar police arrested Tsamret Ido, an ex-army man from Israel, on Tuesday, the police officer said.After Mr Ido landed at Mumbai airport, the CISF, during security check, found a satellite phone in his luggage following which he was apprehended and later arrested, the officer said.Mr Ido, who was in India on a tourist visa, was scheduled to go to Goa through a connecting flight. He was on Wednesday produced before a local court which granted him bail on a surety of Rs 25,000.

According to sources, Mr Ido told the police he was not aware that satellite phones are banned in India.The handlers of the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists had apparently used these phones during the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008. The Bureau of Civil Aviation also issued a circular in 2012 to all airports in the country to detain passengers carrying satellite phones, the police said.