NEW DELHI—Elon Musk said Starlink satellite internet is inactive in India, his first comments since authorities seized two of the company’s devices in recent weeks, one in an armed conflict zone and another in a drug smuggling bust.
Starlink is seeking approval in India to provide satellite broadband services and the Musk-owned company is trying to address any potential security concerns as part of the process.
Musk wrote on X late on Tuesday that “Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India” and were “never on in the first place.”
He was responding to a post from the Indian Army about a search operation on Dec. 13 in Manipur state in India’s northeast, where a communal conflict has raged since early last year.
The post included photos of seized weapons and a satellite dish and receiver with a Starlink logo.
Earlier this month, Indian police sent a legal demand to Starlink seeking purchase details of a device found when they caught smugglers at sea with $4.2 billion worth of methamphetamine, one of the biggest such Indian seizures.
The police suspect the smugglers were using the internet device to navigate.