Hotelier arrested for not providing info about British guest in JK's Ramban

A hotel owner was arrested and a case was registered against him for allegedly flaunting government order by not providing information about a British guest in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, a police officer said on Sunday.

The hotel owner, Ajaz Ahmad of Kaskoot village, was arrested and booked under section 188 Indian Penal Code (IPC), Station House Officer of Banihal police station, Inspector Syed Aabid Bukhari told PTI.

He said the hotel owner has violated the district magistrate order by not providing information about the foreign guest in his hotel.

According to reliable information, the officer said Britain national, Richards, had stayed in the hotel near Banihal Railway station during the intervening night of March 19 and 20.

He was supposed to visit Kashmir, where the entry of foreign nationals was banned by the administration on March 17 as part of efforts to check the spread of coronavirus.

The foreigner was noticed by some policemen while he was on his way way to the Banihal railway station to take a a train to Kashmir and subsequently taken to district hospital Ramban for a checkup. He was later shifted to Jammu.

The Ramban district magistrate had issued an order on March 17, directing all hotels to provide information about their guests, especially foreigners to police.

On March 19, the authorities also suspended the train service between Banihal and Baramulla in Kashmir valley till March 31 as a precautionary measure.