A British woman detained by Indian authorities after unwittingly bringing a banned GPS device into the country has received death threats since posting about her arrest on social media.
Heather Mackins, 38, was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport after security found a Garmin inReach, a satellite communication device, in her luggage.
Such devices are essential for backpackers but are illegal in India without a licence – and in a tearful post on Instagram the Yorkshire hiking blogger warned others not to make the same mistake as her.
understands that in the days since she made her post, Ms Mackins – who works as a lawyer – has received death threats from Indians after allegedly breaking the law and fears for her safety.
After being questioned by Indian police at a local police station, the adventure enthusiast was released on the condition that she remain in the country for a subsequent court appearance.
Ms Mackins, who also leads organised hikes, had written on social media before the trip that she would fly into Delhi before heading ‘straight to the mountains… to rest and focus on my spiritual practice’. It was not her first time visiting the country.
On Saturday afternoon, she shared a post saying she was not ‘acting a victim’ after social media posts had claimed she ‘played the victim card’ with her tearful video.
Her arrest on New Year’s Day came two days after the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice explicitly telling Brits not to travel to India with satellite communication devices.
‘It is illegal to possess and operate satellite phones in India without a licence,’ the advice reads.
‘British nationals have been arrested or detained for bringing satellite phones and other satellite-enabled navigational devices into the country without prior permission. Contact the Indian Department of Telecommunication to request a licence.’
Satellite communicators are banned in India under the country’s obscure and archaic 1933 Wireless Telegraphy Act.
The law was originally drawn up to ban the avoidance of the licence fee but in modern times is largely used to police the use of satellite phones.
Satellite phones cannot be used without a licence in India after laws were brought in to limit their use in 2010 following the deadly 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Over 170 people died when Lashkar-e-Taiba extremists carried out a number of shooting and bombing attacks across the city, coordinating their activities using satellite phones.
Anyone in possession of a banned device under the Act can be jailed for up to three years and fined 1,000 rupees (£9.80).
If this was adjusted for inflation, the fine would be in excess of £1,000.
Garmin inReach gadgets like those used by Ms Mackins are pocket-sized devices that cost between £200 and £300.
They allow people to send and receive messages using satellites rather than a mobile phone connection.
However, satellite communication devices are illegal to use without a licence in India under its archaic 1933 Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act – though this does not extend to using GPS devices for satellite navigation.
A day before her arrest, Ms Mackins had shared images of herself in Delhi riding in the back of a tuk-tuk and enjoying local delicacies.
Her post from the airport on January 1 was a marked contrast, with tears in her eyes as she warned: ‘Do not try to travel to India with a Garmin inReach or any other satellite communicator – they are illegal here.’
In the clip, she said that she even contacted the British Embassy but was told there was little they could do since she was now in the hands of the law in India.
Ms Mackins also claimed police denied her access to water during her detention.
In a detailed caption, Heather wrote: ‘At around 10.30am, I was passing through security at Delhi Airport with the intention of taking an internal flight to Rishikesh.
‘I innocently placed my Garmin inReach in the tray to go through the scanner, and at that moment I was promptly pulled aside by security and told to wait.’
Heather claimed that after being made to wait for a long time, she was told that the Garmin was illegal in India ‘and that they were handing me over to the police’.
‘I was eventually taken to the police station where I was questioned, in a fairly friendly manner, and made to sign document after document.
‘I didn’t take the ‘no comment’ stance, foolishly or not, it is my nature to be honest, and after all, there was absolutely no intent on my behalf,’ she added.
After spending several hours in police custody, Heather said she was released at around 9pm but was told she would have to return for a court appearance.
She added: ‘I am not the only person who has fallen victim to this law. Hence, I felt compelled to write this post.’
Though she claimed the detention overwhelmed her, she hoped sharing her story would help others avoid a similar fate.
‘I don’t know what the outcome will be,’ she said, adding, ‘I guess I will just have to wait.’
In a subsequent post, Ms Mackins revealed she had travelled onwards to Rishikesh, some 150 miles from Delhi, and was still awaiting her court date.
She said: ‘I was at no point acting a victim, the mistake of bringing my Garmin was mine completely.
‘I have simply become so accustomed to taking the inReach on all of my adventures that I put it in my bag without thought and omitted to check it was legal here,’ adding a ‘facepalm’ emoji.
‘At no point was I blaming the country, the people or its authorities, I was simply warning others not to follow in my footsteps.
‘For those asking for an update, I have nothing to add outside of my previous posts and story updates, I await a court date at present & I am in frequent touch with the police.’
On social media, a post shared several times claimed she had ‘started playing (the) victim card’ after she was arrested – but many people who stated they lived in India leapt to her defence.
‘Idk (I don’t know) what others think about this but I feel this law from 1933 is outdated and needs to be amended,’ one said.
An FCDO spokesperson told : ‘We are aware of the British national who was stopped at Delhi airport and are in contact with the local authorities.’
Ms Mackin was contacted for further comment.
The Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933 bans possession of wireless telegraphy equipment at discretion of the government – meaning it does not cover, for example, mobile phones.
The law was originally drawn up to ban the avoidance of the radio licence fee but in modern times is largely used to police the use of satellite phones following the deadly 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Over 170 people died when Lashkar-e-Taiba extremists carried out a number of shooting and bombing attacks across the city, coordinating their activities using satellite phones.
But Ms Mackins is not the first Brit to be arrested under the law.
In 2022, Saudi Aramco oil executive Fergus MacLeod was arrested after he brought a satellite phone into the country and spent a week in prison.
He said he had been treated well during his ordeal, but found it ‘frightening’ and ‘highly traumatic’ spending time in a communal cell with more dangerous prisoners.
It comes after a Canadian trail runner enjoying a months-long trip to India found herself in trouble with airport authorities in Goa after she also brought an inReach device into the country without permission.
Tina Lewis, who now lives in Colorado, had already been through multiple other Indian airports without problem when she caught the attention of security in Goa.
‘I brought my Garmin inReach device as I do for many of my international trips for camping, possible mountain adventures, and to use when there is no cell reception for safety as a solo female traveller,’ Lewis wrote on Instagram two weeks ago.
‘I was detained at airport security (CISF) in Goa and escorted to the Goan police outpost to be investigated. I was not aware a GPS device was illegal. It is a 1933 (!!!) law.’
Lewis wrote that, after ‘hours of investigation’, she was bailed out by a friend’s ‘lawyer connection at midnight’.
After ‘days of court’, her case ‘was finally cleared.’
The description of the device online is followed by a prominent message: ‘NOTICE: Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit the use of satellite communications devices.
‘It is the responsibility of the user to know and follow all applicable laws in the jurisdictions where the device is intended to be used.’