The deadline set for Ranchi's house owners to submit details of their tenants ended today, but the police warned landlords who did not cooperate that they would be made co-accused in cases should their tenants figure in any anti-social activity.

 

As many as 400 house owners turned up at 14 police stations with the required information as a part of an elaborate six-day security drill initiated in the wake of reports that state could be used as a safe haven by members of various terror outfits.

 

Officers in charge of police stations conceded that they were happy with the response. They added that if the process was to be repeated, then police stations would gave a comprehensive database of guests staying in the city.

 

"Though I have not compiled the data, in our police station area we must have received more than 30 verification forms in the past six days. We did not have to go home to home asking people to respond to our requests, as citizens did their duty after reading our advertisement. Had the process continued, our station would have had a complete data base of land-lords and tenants," said the officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station, Anil Shankar.

 

 "The idea behind the process is to prevent criminals from taking shelter in the city in guise of a tenant. Landlords who did not turn up will be made co-accused in any case if their tenant is found guilty," Kumar said.

 

He added that personnel have been instructed to submit a compiled list via the wireless to the headquarters by tomorrow. "Further decision on the matter will be taken once the date is compiled," he said.

 

This is the second time that a verification drive has been conducted in the city. Earlier, M.S. Bhatia had made an effort with the help of Friends of Police (FoP) when he was the senior police superintendent in the district.

 

More than 300 FoPs had extended their support and had acted as volunteers to gather the data.

 

May 25, 2009 / Telegraph