Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Jammu and Kashmir Police has detained a Chinese national and initiated action against multiple hotels, homestays and houseboats in Srinagar for violating mandatory Form C reporting requirements under the Immigration and Foreigners Act.
According to an official quoted by a prominent News gathering agency, five First Information Reports were registered across various police stations after routine inspections of accommodation facilities in Rajbagh, Khanyar, Lal Bazar, Nishat and Ram Munshi Bagh.
In Rajbagh, Hotel Blossoms, Hotel Grand MS and Hotel Golden Forest were found to have housed foreign nationals without submitting the legally required Form C to the Foreigners Registration Office. This led to the filing of FIR No. 65/2025 under Sections 8 and 23 B of the Act at Police Station Rajbagh.
Hotel Khyber in Khanyar was also booked for repeated failure to file Form C despite prior reminders, resulting in FIR No. 57/2025 at Police Station Khanyar.
In Lal Bazar, a homestay identified as IMY Home Stay in Nowabagh Bagwanpora faced action for concealing the stay of a foreign national from Israel and failing to submit the mandatory online Form C report. FIR No. 60/2025 was registered under the same provisions at Police Station Lal Bazar.
Police additionally filed FIR No. 101/2025 in Nishat against a house owner from Vakeel Colony, Brein, for noncompliance with reporting obligations.
In the Ram Munshi Bagh area, four houseboats Floating Castle, Best View, Crystal Palace and Lake Palace were booked for similar violations, involving guests from Taiwan, Russia, Romania and Spain. FIR No. 94/2025 under Sections 7, 14 and 16 of the Act was registered at Police Station Ram Munshi Bagh.
A spokesperson said investigations are underway to determine whether the violations have any forward or backward linkages. All operators of hotels, homestays, guest houses and houseboats were reminded to ensure strict adherence to reporting rules, with police cautioning that noncompliance is treated as a serious legal offence.
Meanwhile, investigation agencies have sent the mobile phone of Chinese national Hu Congtai for forensic analysis after he was detained in Srinagar for alleged visa violations.
Hu, aged 29, had entered India on a tourist visa granting access only to designated Buddhist pilgrimage destinations but travelled to Ladakh and parts of Kashmir, including locations of strategic relevance. Officials said his browsing history contained searches related to security deployments and Article 370, prompting investigators to examine the device to ensure no data had been erased prior to his detention.
Hu arrived in Delhi on November 19 and travelled to Leh the following day without registering at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office counter at the airport. He later travelled to Srinagar where he stayed at an unregistered guest house, officials added.
