If you are a landlord/ homeowner who has offered rental accommodation without informing and submitting the details of the tenant to the local police station, beware you could land in jail. Further tightening the screws on such anomalies which are potential threats to the law-and-order situation of any city, the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police are on an overdrive to detect such tenants including illegal foreign immigrants.
The Tulinj police arrested 25 landlords in Nallasopara for their failure in providing information, while leasing out their property including flats, houses, and commercial establishments to tenants. Notably, most of the tenants turned out to be Nigerian nationals. The accused landlords were arrested and booked under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC and provisions of the Foreigners Act. Besides paying fines, convictions in such cases can also attract jail terms.
Police Vigilance And Legal Measures
Alarmed by the rising presence of foreign nationals illegally staying in the region, the MBVV police has been regularly issuing directives and creating awareness to remind property owners and estate agents about their duty of intimation before carrying out rental transactions. The police had recently issued an order to this effect under section 144 (1) (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)-1973. “The landlords are mandated to submit the details of their tenants to the police station before leasing out their properties.
In case of foreign nationals, it is binding upon the landlords to fill the prescribed form supported by valid documents including valid visas, passports and the reason for residing in the city, failing which they would be liable for legal action.” warned police commissioner-Madhukar Pandey.
Enforcing Regulations On Foreign Tenants
Apart from landlords, it is binding upon establishments including- hotels, lodges, clubs and guest houses to submit details of their foreign tenants/ guests in the prescribed format to the local police station within 24 hours. The mandate is also applicable for establishments and private companies who employ foreign nationals.
It has come to light that some miscreants change their rental accommodations without intimation and manage to overstay in the country only because the landlords and agents do not abide by the rules. The Pragati Nagar and Moregaon area has become a favourite destination for Nigerian nationals seeking accommodation facilities, sources said. Notably, 11 landlords from these areas were arrested by the police for a similar offence last month.
