Biofuel bus driver bailed after India sat phone arrest
19th January 2010
An environmental campaigner on a world tour in a bus powered by biofuel has been bailed after he was held in India for illegally using a satellite phone. Andy Pag, 35, of Croydon, south London, was arrested in Ajmer, in Rajasthan state, on suspicion of being a threat to national security on 13 January.
Mr Pag, who was bailed on Monday, is also suspected of violating India's communications laws, his lawyer said.
Since leaving London in September Mr Pag has covered more than 3,000 miles.
500 litres
Bailing him, the judge ordered him to pay a surety of 40,000 rupees (£540). Mr Pag has been allowed to continue his tour but has been asked to report back for future hearings.
"Justice PK Aggarwal released him on bail after he told the court he was unaware of Indian laws which prohibited the use of satellite telephones without a permit," Mr Pag's lawyer Prateek Kasliwal told the AFP news agency by telephone.
The next court date has not been set, Mr Kasliwal said.
Mr Pag, who has dual Italian and British nationality, has already driven through France, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Greece.
He has been travelling on his Italian passport, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.
He has used more than 500 litres of fuel made from used cooking oil thrown away by restaurants along the route.
During the journey he is reporting on his website how people around the world are addressing the need to use low-carbon energy.
Source: BBC