UP: Police file case against Lucknow landlord for renting apartment to foreign nationals without verification

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 14 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh police recently raided the an apartment building in the Malhour locality of Lucknow and booked its owner, his business partner and other associates under various sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Foreigners Act of 1946 for allegedly renting apartments to foreign nationals without a proper rent agreement.
Acting on confidential information based on complaints regarding suspicious activities in the apartments, the Chinhat police police conducted a raid with female police personnel and body-worn cameras and found 10 foreign nationals, all women, residing in the apartment flats.
According to the complaint, the foreign nationals were allowed to stay in the apartment on rent without informing the local police and administration. Upon reaching the site, the police discovered the passports and visas of several women from abroad living here in six different apartments without a proper rent agreement.
When asked to show the rent agreement, a Thai woman managed to produce a copy before the police, according to the complaint. However, the rest of the foreign nationals residing in the apartments were unable to do so.
Police directed the apartment owner to provide complete information regarding the stay of foreign nationals residing in them. However, the landlord failed to provide rent agreements, and the process of submitting Form C within 24 hours of the arrival of foreign nationals was also not completed, which is a violation of mandated regulations under the Foreigners Act of 1946.
As per the complaint, the owner was informed that he had accommodated foreign women without written notice. He was directed to furnish complete information regarding the foreign nationals lodged in the apartment but he failed to provide any rent agreement for the foreign nationals in his flat. The complaint further stated that the owner also did not fill up Form C through the online portal within 24 hours under the Foreigner Registration Rule.
The police have registered a case under Sections 61, 318(4) of BNS, 7(1) and 14A of the Foreigners Act 1946, and section 5 of the Foreigners Registration Act 1939. (ANI)