British plane-spotters facing three years in an Indian prison

Two British plane spotters detained in Delhi could face up to three years in prison after they were charged with illegally intercepting communications between pilots and airport authorities.
Stephen Hampton, 46, and Steven Ayres, 56, were detained last Monday at the Radisson hotel, near Delhi’s international airport, after staff grew suspicious and contacted police.
The two railway workers from Bristol had requested a room overlooking the terminal and police found them in possession of a map of the airport, a radio scanner, cameras and binoculars, according to local media reports.
The Radisson is mentioned as one of the best places in the Indian capital to watch planes on the website plane-spotting-hotels.com.
The pair were questioned in the hotel by the Intelligence Bureau, Delhi police and the National Investigation Agency for two days, then sent to the Lampur detention centre just outside Delhi. The British High Commission told The Times they had been charged under the Indian Telegraph Act, which regulates the use of telecommunications equipment, and were being provided with consular assistance.
They are not suspected of involvement with terrorist groups and are set to be bailed in the next few days, but they could still face up to three years in prison if they are convicted.
It is not the first time British plane spotters have broken the law overseas: in 2000, 12 were arrested in Greece for monitoring planes at an Air Force Day function. They were charged with espionage and faced 20-year prison terms but after six weeks the charges were reduced and they were released pending appeals.
23/02/10 Times Online, UK

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Categories: Airports Feb 2010, Foreign Feb 2010