Suhail Khan
SRINAGAR, Dec 08 : The Srinagar Police have launched a major crackdown on accommodation providers for flouting mandatory security protocols concerning foreign nationals following the detention of a Chinese national.
A police spokesperson told Kashmir Convener that stringent legal action has been initiated against several establishments for failing to submit the mandatory Form-C to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO), as required under the Immigration Act of 1946.
First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered at various city police stations against multiple hotels, a homestay, houseboats, and a private homeowner for non-compliance or for deliberately concealing the stays of foreign guests.
Officials said nationals from Israel, Taiwan, Russia, Romania, and Spain were found to have been accommodated without proper documentation.
“The Srinagar Police reiterates that all hospitality operators must strictly comply with Form-C submission norms. Non-compliance is a serious offense and will invite strict legal action,” the spokesperson stated, adding that investigations are ongoing.
The enforcement drive follows heightened security scrutiny after a Chinese national was detained on Sunday for unauthorized entry and movement within the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.
According to official sources, the detention of Hu Congtai (29) was prompted by alerts regarding his irregular online activity. Officials told Kashmir Convener that Hu entered India via New Delhi on November 19 on a tourist visa designated for visiting Buddhist sites in several mainland cities. They stated that Hu, leveraging his physical resemblance to local residents, subsequently flew to Leh on November 20, deliberately bypassing mandatory registration at the airport’s Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
After touring the Zanskar region, Hu traveled to Srinagar on December 1. A forensic examination of his electronic devices revealed searches concerning the deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in the Valley and the abrogation of Article 370. Officials confirmed he had also procured an Indian SIM card from the open market.
During his stay at an unregistered guest house in Srinagar, Hu visited several locations, including the Harwan Buddhist site—the scene of a counter-terror operation last year—and the Awantipur ruins in South Kashmir, situated near a key Indian Army headquarters. His itinerary also included prominent landmarks such as the Shankaracharya hills and the Hazratbal shrine.
Hu, a Physics graduate from Boston University who described himself as a travel enthusiast, is currently undergoing multi-agency interrogation for visa violations and is likely to be deported.
Meanwhile, in a related security development, the Ganderbal Police reported a breakthrough in a sensitive drone violation case from the Amarnath Yatra of 2025. Following the earlier neutralization of a drone illegally operated over the Yatra’s No-Fly Zone and a detailed forensic investigation, two individuals have been apprehended and charge-sheeted.
The accused have been identified as Owais Muneer Khan of Sanat Nagar, Srinagar, and Farooz Ahmad Nengroo of Munwar-Abad, Khanyar, Srinagar. They have been produced before a court and formally charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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