The Gujarat police have registered an FIR against the owner of hotel 'Lemon Tree' in Ahmedabad , where terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana had stayed with his wife in 2008, for violation of various rules.
"We have filed an FIR against the owner of the Lemon Tree hotel, and two others for violation of Registration of Foreigners Act and a notification of city police commissioner," Additional Commissioner of Police, Special Branch, G S Malik told reporters.
Those against whom FIR has been lodged are owner of the hotel Patanjali Govind Keshvani, former manager Prashant Malhotra and present manager Shubash Sharma.
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, arrested by FBI along with David Headley for plotting terror strikes in India, had stayed at the hotel on November 18 and 19, 2008 with his wife Samraz Akhtar.
Special Branch of Ahmedabad police has found that the hotel had not informed it about the stay of a foreign national by submitting the 'C' form which is mandatory, Malik said.
"An inquiry revealed that there was no mention of the duo's stay in the hotel register though the computer records show their presence," he said.
Malik said the 'Lemon Tree' hotel had also violated a notification of city police commissioner that made it compulsory for hotels, multiplexes, malls and other public buildings to install CCTV cameras in their premises.
As a result of non-installation of CCTV cameras, the police could not get any footage of the activities of Rana and his wife at the hotel. The officer said the investigators found that though the hotel got police licence for functioning from November 19, 2008, it had started receiving guests from November 17, a day before the couple checked in. He, however, declined to divulge any details of the activities of Rana and his wife during their stay in the city lest it would hamper investigation.
National Investigation Agency has registered a case against Headley and Rana under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and for conspiring to wage war against the country. PTI
