Team Herald
PANJIM: Following the arrest of alleged Israeli drug lord Yaniv Benaim, alias Atala with drugs worth Rs 8.7 lakh, action has now been initiated against the house owner for not intimating the police that he had rented out his premises to a foreign national.
The move comes after the Anti Narcotic Cell (ANC) DySP Nerlon Albuquerque yesterday filed a complaint against Param Varty, 36, from Siolim, for leasing his studio apartment to Atala and failing to fill a 'C' form regarding Israeli's stay with the Anjuna Police.
The DySP stated that as per the law, hotels and guest house owners have to mandatorily submit the details through the 'C' form to the local police if there are foreigners staying with them which Varty had failed to do so.
“Whether a person has an Aadhaar Card, Passport or any other document, the details of the tenants/guests, basically foreigners, has to be furnished to the local police station,” Albuquerque said.
Police sources revealed that Varty had taken 19 studio apartments on rent from original owners and was subletting them to tourists on a daily basis through leave and licence agreement. He has been booked under section 16 of Foreigner's Order 1948 (any foreign national found staying the country by violating visa conditions) and under Section 14 C of Foreigner’s Act 1946 (if convicted, is liable for penalty and imprisonment of five years).
In Goa, a leave and license agreement allows the licensor to permit a licensee to temporarily occupy their property for a specific period, without transferring ownership, and is often used for residential or commercial rentals.
Sources in the police revealed that the ANC sleuths had demanded the name of the officer and the documents submitted by Atala to obtain an Aadhaar Card in a nationalised bank. However, they were yet to receive the same as there were a couple of holidays in Maharashtra where the UIDAI headquarters are based.
It may be recalled that Atala, whose arrest 15 years ago had exposed the police-politicians-drug mafia nexus and resulted in the suspension of seven policemen, was arrested early on Saturday, April 6, by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) with drugs worth Rs 8.7 lakh.