Less than 48 hours after the a special team from the Thane (rural) police under the instructions of the SP Dr Shivaji Rathod, arrested the manager of a lodge for violating the disaster management and epidemic act by renting out rooms during the lockdown, the Kashimira police also swung into action and raided two more establishments under their jurisdiction and arrested three people for their involvement in a similar crime.
Based on the information that some lodge owners were illegally renting out rooms to people-mostly couples, a police team led by Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Hazare swooped down on Hotel Sona and Hotel Anuha- two lodging and boarding facilities located near the highway in Kashimira and apprehended three people including the managers and a waiter for defying lockdown orders promulgated by the district administration to contain the spread of coronavirus.
“One of the lodge managers claimed to have rented out rooms to the employees of an emergency service providing agency. However, he failed to show the mandated permission which has to be issued by the local civic body for any such allotment. The other lodge had allowed a couple,” said an investigating officer.
Restaurants, bars, hotels and lodges are amongst those establishments in the hospitality industry which continue to be in lockdown mode in the first phase of Mission Begin Again. Meanwhile, a case under sections 188, 269, 270, 271 and 272 of the IPC has been registered against the trio and a notice has been issued to the lodge owners who are also named as co-accused in the FIR. Several dingy hotels and lodges in the twin-city were said to be involved in similar illegal activities, sources said.
