Nagpur: From a minor girl allegedly held captive in a rented room to the seizure of counterfeit currency worth ₹37 lakh and a murder accused allegedly hiding in a rented apartment, three recent cases have highlighted security risks linked to landlords failing to inform police about tenants.
In Aug, police rescued a minor allegedly held captive by a 19-year-old student from Thane in a rented accommodation. Recently, Wathoda police seized counterfeit currency worth more than ₹37 lakh in fake ₹500 notes from a rented flat in Chaitanyaneshwar Nagar near Kharbi.
The landlord, a senior govt official, had not completed the mandatory tenant-verification formalities, according to the information available. “Nagpur being centrally located and well-linked to major cities makes it a logistically viable location to hide,” a senior police officer told TOI. Joint commissioner of police Navinchandra Reddy said the department was keen to enforce the existing tenant-verification notification more strictly. “When landlords fail to share tenant details with police, tracing suspects becomes more difficult and valuable time can be lost during investigations,” a senior official said.
Police say poor compliance with mandatory tenant verification norms remains a concern, with many landlords still not submitting tenant details and documents to local police stations. The landlord was later summoned and questioned by police. It is unclear whether any action was initiated against the landlord for allegedly failing to fulfil the mandatory requirement of informing police about the tenant. The landlord was subsequently made a witness in the case. Shraddha, her sister Rashmi and their driver, Tanveer Ali, had used an apartment booked online near Chinchbhavan. Police fear that criminals and fugitives could exploit rented accommodation to evade detection. Action against landlords who allegedly rented accommodation to the Dubey sisters and their associate without completing the prescribed formalities was also being considered.
Earlier this month, police arrested three suspects, including influencer-model Shraddha Dubey, in connection with the death of Lucknow businessman Shiva Sharma .