Police conducts verification of 8,500 tenants in Jammu, 40 FIRs lodged

Jammu, Jan 17 (PTI) Police have verified the identity of 8,500 tenants staying in Jammu city and lodged FIRs against 40 house owners for failing to give details of their tenants, officials said on Tuesday.

As part of a tenant verification drive ahead of Republic Day on January 26, the administration had directed landlords to submit details of their tenants and domestic helps to the concerned police stations, they said.

The step was taken after several instances of anti-national elements staying in residential areas in the guise of tenants and domestic helps came to the fore in Jammu, they said.

“The verification has begun. The verification of 8,500 tenants have been done during the last five days in Jammu,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu, Chandan Kohli told PTI.

He said the FIR has been registered against 40 owners of houses for failure to submit details of their tenants to their respective police stations.

Police are conducting random verification of various localities to verify the identity of tenants, officials said.

An order issued by Jammu District Magistrate Avny Lavasa said the landlords shall submit the details within three days of the issuance of the order.

“All owners shall, after the issuance of this order, within three days submit without fail the detailed particulars of the tenants as per the declaration form to be signed by both the owner and the tenant, to the concerned police station,” the order read.

It said the step was taken after Jammu’s senior superintendent of police brought to Lavasa’s notice that there was an imminent need to conduct verification following instances where anti-national and anti-social elements have sought hideouts in residential areas in the guise of tenants and domestic helpers.

It is necessary that some measures be taken to make the landlords and property owners accountable before renting out and making available their premises to tenants and domestic helps, she said.

“I consider the threat posed by such adverse elements as imminent danger to public safety and security, that warrants immediate preventive measures under Section 144 of CrPC,” the top district official said.

The owners who have already let, sub-let, or rented out their houses on any date prior to the issuance of this order, shall submit the detailed particulars of tenants as per the declaration form to the concerned police station with immediate effect, the order said.