Satellite phones ringing in K'taka-Kerala border areas?

Mangaluru/Kasaragod: The banned satellite phones that were reportedly ringing in many parts of Karavali, are now allegedly ringing on the Kerala-Karnataka border as well, posing a challenge to the security establishment.

On Thursday, there were reports of satellite calls being made from the Swarga area of Manjeshwar taluk of Kasaragod district in Kerala, and within an area of a 1 km radius around Panaje in Puttur taluk. Kerala Special Branch Police has reportedly started an investigation into this.

Meanwhile, satellite phone calls are suspected to have been made to Bantaje on the Kerala-Karnataka border, and the areas on the periphery of the Parappa Range reserve forest area of Kerala.

For a few years now, the intelligence department had noticed the banned satellite phone calls being made from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. However, intelligence agencies remain tightlipped about the phone calls. So far the only information available is that the Central intelligence agencies have begun an investigation.

The Dakshina Kannada District Superintendent of Police responded in this regard and confirmed that there is no information available about any satellite phone calls being made in the DK district on Thursday.

Tracking mobile phone calls is easier for security agencies. However, satellite calls, being made from direct satellite links from foreign companies, hampers the efforts of the agencies to track them.