Starlink Devices Allegedly Seized by Security Agencies During Raids in Manipur, Elon Musk Rejects Claim

New Delhi: In a first such incident, security forces in Manipur have seized Starlink devices from Imphal East on December 13. The devices were seized during a joint search operation by the police and the Army, reported The Hindu.

Officials said that a Starlink satellite antenna and router were abandoned by armed miscreants when the security forces were conducting raids at Keirao Khunou in Imphal East. Along with the Starlink device, other weapons and ammunitions included MA4 Assault rifles, used by the Myanmar Army and a pistol.

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.

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

The discovery of the Starlink device in strife-torn Manipur is a matter of concern as it provides satellite-based high speed internet circumventing Indian network.

However, when an X user posted photos of the seized alleged Starlink device and said, "@Starlink is being used by terrorists. Hope, Elon @elonmusk looks into it and help control misuse of this technology," Musk said that the claim is "false."

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

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