Bengaluru: According to sources, intelligence agencies has alerted the Karnataka Government about satellite phone calls made to foreign locations from the State’s coastline and Malnad region. The phone calls were traced to Dakshina Kannada’s Moodabidri and Mudipu regions, Uttara Kannada’s dense forest regions, and two other locations in Chikkamagaluru district.
It can be recalled that since last week, at least five phone calls have been traced. Central agencies have warned Karnataka authorities to be wary of new developments following the targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir.
In Malnad region, central agencies have gathered information regarding suspected anti-national activities in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, and Shivamogga.
Intelligence agencies have long been aware of the usage of satellite phones.
For the third year in a row, the use of satellite phones has been tracked in Karnataka. The issue was brought up in the Assembly, and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra responded in detail, saying that the government is handling the problem in collaboration with central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
According to intelligence authorities, anti-national forces may be activating sleeper cells in the State.
Araga Jnanendra informed that since 2020, 476 calls made through satellite phones have been linked to foreign places.
The usage of satellite phones has been banned by the Directorate General of Shipping since the Mumbai attack in 2008.
